Before the Antimatter Legion even arrived, Jing Yuan had already caught wind of their movements.
With an Emanator like Fu Xuan stationed on the Luofu, the ship was naturally adept at seizing the initiative. However, a question remained.
"Lady Fu, why do you think Celenova chose this specific moment to approach the Luofu?"
Jing Yuan stared at Celenova, who stood at the vanguard of the Legion just outside the Luofu's perimeter, completely baffled.
"It's not as if she doesn't know Madam Bai Ming is here with us, right? Even if she failed to recognize her, she should at least realize there's a powerhouse on the Luofu capable of suppressing a Lord Ravager with ease."
This truly had Jing Yuan stumped. For the life of him, he couldn't wrap his head around where Celenova found the nerve to lead an army here now.
Even if you discounted Fu Xuan's status as a hidden Emanator, you still had 'Huohuo'—who had effortlessly subdued Phantylia—and an Arbiter General whose Lightning Lord was renowned for sheer martial prowess.
Where exactly are you getting this confidence from, Celenova?
Furthermore, she hadn't even brought along the rumored eighth Lord Ravager.
Did she honestly believe she had grown so powerful that she could suppress an Emanator with one hand? That seemed a bit much.
No matter how self-assured one might be, seeing 'Huohuo' pin Phantylia down in the middle of a busy downtown district without breaking a sweat should make anyone pause and consider the strength of their opponent.
Even if you took Nanook's most infamously violent Emanator, Zephyro, or the Emanator of Remembrance closest to the Aeon, Demiurge, and put them in that same position, they wouldn't have been able to make Phantylia surrender so helplessly and casually.
Celenova was formidable, sure, but she couldn't seriously think she was at the level where she could suppress Zephyro with her left hand and topple Demiurge with her right, could she?
Fu Xuan approached the front lines with unhurried steps, coming to a halt beside Jing Yuan. Her tone was colored with a strange edge.
"I have observed with the Matrix of Prescience, yet even I find her motives elusive. Celenova knows full well the Luofu harbors a powerful foe, yet the legion she leads is far from elite. It almost feels as though... she is intentionally seeking defeat at Madam Bai Ming's hands?"
"...Huh?"
Jing Yuan nearly lost his composure then.
What did she mean, "intentionally seeking defeat"? Voluntarily delivering oneself to a rival Aeon? What, did she think that because Madam Bai Ming hadn't killed Phantylia, she would be spared too?
"The specific reasons involve the Aeons, so they are hidden from my sight. However, she hasn't come to start a full-scale war with the Xianzhou. Judging by the scale of her legion, she doesn't seem to have any real intention of rescuing Phantylia either."
Fu Xuan was actually having a hard time keeping a straight face herself.
She had caught glimpses of certain images in her visions that she pointedly chose not to share with Jing Yuan.
The very thought of Celenova—a Lord Ravager who sat high above the stars raining destruction—coming here specifically to lose so she could be forced into a maid outfit...
Fu Xuan's face flushed slightly. The world was truly becoming an absurd place.
Besides, as Bai Ming's sole Emanator, even she didn't get to stay by her side constantly. How could a Lord Ravager born of Destruction earn the right to serve Bai Ming indefinitely, or even... warm her bed?
I haven't even had the chance to share a bed with my own deity yet!!
Was this fair? She was the one who arrived first!
Seeing the odd look on Fu Xuan's face, Jing Yuan guessed she'd seen something she wasn't telling him. But with an army at the doorstep, he didn't have the luxury of probing for details.
Even if Fu Xuan claimed the enemy wasn't here to destroy the Luofu, his duty as General demanded he lead the Cloud Knights out to face them. It might be a mere formality, but it was a necessary one.
Otherwise, people would think the Xianzhou Luofu was too terrified to even deploy its troops.
As Jing Yuan led countless starskiffs of all sizes into the sky, forming a battle array before the Antimatter Legion, Qingque and 'Huohuo' were aboard one of the vessels flying out from the Luofu.
As for the real Huohuo, she belonged to the Ten-Lords Commission.
Although she had been hanging out with the two of them lately, it clearly wasn't appropriate for her to show her face in a situation like this.
Qingque watched the menacing Legion. Normally, this would be a high-stakes emergency, but she didn't feel a hint of tension. After all... there was an Aeon standing right next to her.
There was no greater sense of security in the universe than that.
"So, Boss, are you going to step in this time?"
Qingque turned her head curiously toward 'Huohuo', who only offered a subtle, nuanced smile.
"I'll watch for a bit. Celenova's behavior is a little strange today..."
Before she could finish, Celenova's gaze pierced through the ranks of the army and landed squarely on 'Huohuo'.
For some reason, the look Celenova gave her wasn't one of pure hostility. Instead, it held a trace of inexplicable grievance and a touch of... shame?
"..."
'Huohuo' fell silent. She couldn't quite read what Celenova was playing at today.
What was with that look? What was the woman trying to do? And bringing such a small force—was she here for a picnic?
'Huohuo' swept a casual glance over the scale of the Antimatter Legion. It wasn't "small," per se, but compared to their previous clashes, it was strikingly meager.
Many elite units were missing, and she could barely see any top-tier starships. The individual strength of the soldiers was a mixed bag, completely inconsistent with the usual elite standards of Celenova's legion.
If the Eighth Lord Ravager hadn't been involved, she might have believed they simply hadn't had enough time to recover their numbers. But with the power of the Swarm at their disposal, claiming a struggle with mass-production was just laughable.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Celenova definitely knew she was here, yet she had come anyway.
Why? What was she after? Surely she didn't come all this way to demand an explanation just because she'd teased her while capturing Phantylia?
This woman wasn't some airheaded heroine from a slice-of-life romance novel.
She wouldn't pull a stunt this abstract just to get her attention, would she?
For once, 'Huohuo' couldn't guess the motive. Not unless she went over and asked, or dragged her off to probe her mind with the power of Remembrance.
After a moment's thought, 'Huohuo' decided to act. She was genuinely curious about what kind of scheme Celenova was cooking up.
She couldn't possibly think that because she has so many avatars, she's invincible and can just come here to taunt me, right?
With that thought, 'Huohuo' patted Qingque on the shoulder. "I'm going over to take a look. Look after yourself."
"Don't worry, Boss. This is just a clone; I won't die." Qingque puffed out her chest with total confidence.
She knew she wasn't much of a soldier, but with her cloning ability, she was an expert at staying alive.
'Huohuo' gave a light chuckle. Then, with a single step forward and a surge of rising flames, she vanished from sight.
Meanwhile, Celenova led her forces closer to the Luofu fleet.
Though she had come with the mindset of "sacrificing a clone for the sake of future operations," she had still put serious effort into planning this offensive to demand Phantylia's return.
Even if she believed the plan was doomed to fail, she felt that if she made it look too half-hearted, she would look like a woman who was just "giving herself away" for free.
If that happened, not only would she be unable to stand herself, but rumors might start circulating among the various galactic powers. That would be a true social death.
So, the force Celenova brought wasn't exactly small; she had just left most of her new elite units behind.
This meant the Legion's overall strength was certainly lower than it had been at Amphoreus.
Of course, under normal circumstances, they would still have a chance in a head-on war against the Luofu of the past. After all, the Antimatter Legion's ability to assimilate others was terrifying.
But now? They were likely headed for total annihilation.
Celenova didn't care about the Legion's losses. As long as the surface level looked convincing enough to prevent weird rumors, she was fine with it.
Her gaze quickly bypassed Jing Yuan and locked onto the green-haired Foxian girl on the ship behind him.
Though she had no way of distinguishing truth from falsehood, the moment she met those eyes, Celenova felt a sharp intuition: This is Bai Ming!
So she really did show up.
Celenova suppressed the urge to charge in and start the fight immediately.
Nominally, she was here to rescue Phantylia.
Of course, the negotiations went terribly; the Luofu side had no intention of releasing the prisoner and was clearly itching for a fight, looking as if they wanted to bag a second Lord Ravager.
Celenova scoffed internally. They only dare to be this brazen because that bastard Bai Ming is here.
Just as Celenova was debating whether to actually make a move, a cluster of flames ignited before her.
Right in front of both opposing armies, 'Huohuo' stepped out of the fire, approaching Celenova with a look of curiosity.
"Yo. If it isn't Celenova."
"..."
Celenova's response was a pale, clenched fist. It was, of course, useless. 'Huohuo' easily swatted the punch aside.
"In such a hurry? Aren't you afraid I'll stuff you into the Shackling Prison too?"
"Hmph!"
Celenova let out a cold snort and remained silent, instead commanding the entire fleet to shift their target from the Luofu to 'Huohuo'.
Naturally, it had zero effect. Every single attack transformed into harmless, spectacular super-fireworks, giving the people of the Luofu a grand light show.
Of course, 'Huohuo' wasn't the type to just take hits without striking back.
After turning the barrage into fireworks, she snapped her fingers, dragging both Celenova and herself into a temporary pocket dimension.
The sudden disappearance of the commander caused the once-orderly Legion to fall into immediate chaos. This prompted some rather complicated expressions from Jing Yuan and the Cloud Knights waiting in formation.
As for Fu Xuan, she huffed, her eyes narrowing unpleasantly as she glared at the spot where Celenova had been. She spoke up to remind the General:
"General."
"Right. All units, hear my command!"
General Jing Yuan immediately summoned the Lightning Lord, issuing orders to the entire army.
They charged toward the leaderless Antimatter Legion to finish the job!
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL