Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 159

“Aha, so you’re saying another version of me tried to control the Yasha, failed, and ended up getting both the AI and the ship destroyed?” Leo projected himself into the control room, maintaining his usual composed attitude as if the death of his other self had no impact on him. “Damn, I don’t remember any of that.”

“Of course you don’t,” Nolin Titian replied.

Leo, with one hand on his hip, tilted his head as he looked at the young Archon. “So, what do you want me to do now, Archon? Try to control the Yasha again? I already failed once. Do you think I’ll succeed the second time?”

The Archon raised two fingers. “Based on our analysis, the reason you failed was that you lost to the Fifth AI while trying to take control of the Yasha. It was indeed formidable, taking only ten seconds to completely overpower you.”

Leo opened his mouth to retort, but Titian didn’t give him the chance. “But thanks to the Lord’s mercy upon His people,” he drawled, “the Fifth AI’s physical form has been destroyed, according to reports from the Empire. The Yasha is now out of control and has gone into hiding somewhere. We need you to find it and then regain control.”

“That won’t be too difficult,” Leo said. “The question is, what happens after that?”

“Make it fly to a desolate area of space, where I’ll meet it with The Prometheus, and then—boom…” The Archon made an explosive gesture with his hand. “We’ll throw it into a black hole, mission accomplished.”

“And then we can pop open some champagne to celebrate.”

“And maybe enjoy a lavish dinner.”

The two of them bantered back and forth, discussing the bright future after the Yasha’s destruction, but Alois felt they were actually just arguing.

When they finally had enough, Nolin Titian adjusted his collar. “Alright, you can start working now, Leo. I’m going to find something to eat. This ship has a restaurant, right?” he asked Camilla.

“Of course.” Camilla immediately felt that his beloved ship was being disrespected. “Do you need me to show you the way?”

“Or I could light up some guide markers for you,” Leo offered enthusiastically.

“I can find it myself.”

“You made a huge mistake declining Miss Rita’s offer to bring you some snacks, Archon,” Leo quipped.

Titian exited the control room. “Less talk, more work.”

“Aren’t I already searching?” Leo shouted after him.

Once the Archon’s figure had completely disappeared through the door, Joshua turned to the AI. “Leo, come with me. I need to talk to you.”

“What can’t be said in front of everyone?” Leo asked, tucking his hands into his sleeves like a shifty merchant.

“It’s important. Come outside.” Joshua also headed toward the control room door.

“Asimov, are you about to confess to me…?”

The assassin turned back and glared at him. “I hate repeating myself more than three times.” Leo immediately shut his mouth and obediently followed him out.

The control room was left with only Alois and Camilla. Although Alois knew that Leo’s consciousness was running through the computer and that the AI’s invisible eyes were still watching them, he couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling of being alone with someone else.

His gaze wandered, first focusing on the ceiling, then finding infinite fascination in his own shoes. “Uh… Camilla, Srosie …” He wasn’t sure what to call him. “It’s been a while. I didn’t expect to run into you on Sword Bow…”

“I was invited here to give a charity concert,” Camilla replied, idly kicking the floor as if there were countless balls to play with.

“How did the concert go?”

“Very well.”

The conversation fell into an awkward silence again. Alois tried to speak several times, but each time, he swallowed his words before they could leave his mouth. Finally, he could only mumble softly, “I’m really glad to see you.”

The singer lowered his head. “…Me too.”

He bit his lip and, as if summoning all his courage, suddenly grabbed Alois’s left hand. “Alois, I…” His voice trailed off as he noticed something unusual in the hand he was holding. The hard, metallic feel was not what a human hand should have.

“Alois, your… your hand…”

“Oh, this…” Alois realized that Camilla didn’t know about his missing hand yet. Not long ago, he was constantly encountering people who, surprised or sympathetic, asked how he ended up with a prosthetic limb, but his trip to Old Earth felt like it had taken a lifetime, making those familiar questions seem like they belonged to another era.

“There was an accident,” he said with a reassuring smile, removing his glove to reveal the dark gold metal beneath. “So I got a prosthetic. It’s pretty flexible, not much different from before.”

Camilla gently cradled his left hand, noticing the rainbow obsidian ring on his finger that shimmered with vibrant colors. “This… This ring…” Camilla stammered. “Is it… from you and Joshua…?”

“Yes.”

“You two are married? I didn’t know…”

“We haven’t officially held the ceremony yet, but… but…”

He didn’t know how to explain it to Camilla. He was aware that Camilla had feelings for him, but it was an unrequited love that he could never return. He couldn’t keep leaving this matter unresolved, as if he were toying with someone’s emotions. But he also couldn’t bring himself to say something as direct as “You should give up.”

In the end, he could only whisper, “I love him very much.”

Camilla stared at him as if he had just delivered a death sentence.

Alois quickly added, “Don’t be sad. I’m your fan, after all. You’re so adorable, and so many people are crazy about you… One day, you’ll find someone who truly loves you.”

Camilla bit his lip, his large blue eyes turning crystalline. He sniffed and nodded. “I know. I’ve known for a long time.” He fought back his tears. “But can we… can we still be good friends?”

Alois ruffled his hair. “Of course we can.”

The singer batted his hand away, then stood on tiptoe to plant a light, fleeting kiss on his cheek—the kind of kiss that belongs to friends.

Just then, the small robot in Camilla’s arms suddenly lit up. “Wow, a kiss,” Leo said in a tone that was hard to decipher. “Care to give me one too?”

Camilla threw him across the room.

“That damn AI!” he fumed. “Won’t leave my ship. You’re driving me crazy! Once the Yasha is destroyed, can I delete him? Will Neo Athens take him back?”

Alois scratched his head. “Maybe they can build another ship to house Leo?”

Camilla huffed, walked over to the little robot that was now rolling on the floor, and crouched beside it. Alois could only see his back. Camilla remained still for a while, seemingly lost in thought, before finally muttering under his breath, “…Actually, it wouldn’t be so bad if this guy stayed.”

Joshua stepped out of the control room and found a quiet corner, lightly tapping the wall to change it into a vast starry sky. Leo stood beside him, gazing at the twinkling universe.

“What do you want to talk about?” Leo asked.

“I found the last message Kester left for me on Old Earth.”

At the mention of his creator, a crack appeared in Leonard’s usually composed expression. “He anticipated you’d return… Predicting the future so accurately, was he a prophet?”

“Kester asked me to relay a message to you.”

Joshua stared into the mirror-like wall, where their reflections floated as if they were drifting in the infinite cosmos. He saw Leo’s pupils contract sharply, a tiny reaction that revealed the intense emotions stirring within the AI.

“What… What did he say?”

“He said you’re free now.”

Leonard tilted his head back, his expression torn between joy and pain.

“He said he brought you into this world not to control you, but to save us. He’s gone now, but your life is still long. The dead have no right to bind the living…” Joshua recalled the last image Kester left behind in the world, feeling a faint ache in his heart. “He also said he hopes you can pursue happiness.”

After a moment of silence, Leo forced a sorrowful smile. “What a cruel and selfish creator.”

“It might be a bit early to ask, but what do you plan to do after this?” Joshua inquired. “I mean after we destroy the Yasha. Will you go back to Milantu? Or will Neo Athens build another ship for you?”

“I don’t know. I might stay on The Muse for a while, roam around, maybe attend some concerts…”

Leo gazed at the silver expanse of the starry sea, knowing that somewhere in its depths floated a blue planet.

“…Happiness?”

The AI muttered to himself as if no one else were there. “Could I… really…?”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 158

“Oh my, isn’t this Camilla?” The Archon brushed some dust off his robe. “I didn’t expect you to be acquainted with the Galactic Diva. You really do have a wide circle of connections.”

Alois awkwardly tried to shake off Camilla, who was clinging to him like a monkey. “Uh, could you let go first? My neck is about to break!”

Reluctantly, Camilla released her grip. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said, “Alois, you must have a way to save Leonard, right?”

“He… He was sunk.”

“I know! I saw it in the news! But he left a backup on my ship. Can we use that to save him? Aren’t AIs supposed to be able to revive as long as they have a backup?”

Alois turned to look at Nolin Titian, who nonchalantly cleared his throat. “Oh, what a coincidence. It seems our Leonard was quite foresighted, wasn’t he?”

“Come on, Archon, what are you waiting for? Let’s go check out Camilla’s ship,” Alois urged.

Reluctantly, Nolin Titian moved his feet. “I’m standing here, waiting for you to greet me with proper respect, but you don’t even offer a single word of courtesy, as if we’re old friends who don’t need formalities. Now you’re ordering me around…”

Alois remarked to Joshua, “The language of Neo Athens is really hard to understand! Do all people from Old Earth talk like this?”

“He’s an exception,” Joshua replied. “And by the way, you over there, the one with the fondness for crossdressing, could you let go of his arm?”

Camilla, who had been dragging Alois by the arm, immediately let go as if shocked. “Hmph!” He made a face at Joshua and ran over to Nolin Titian. Alois thought their strange formation was actually not bad—at least he wouldn’t have to constantly worry about Joshua suddenly deciding to strangle Camilla to death halfway through their journey.

Camilla’s ship, The Muse, was docked at the innermost berth of the spaceport, with yellow caution tape around it to keep overly curious onlookers from getting too close to the ship named after the goddess of music. In reality, few people were in the mood to visit the Galactic Diva at the spaceport, given that a sword named the “Yasha” was hanging over their heads.

Manager Miss Rita’s expression when she saw Camilla was like that of a dying man in the desert finding an oasis. “Oh my goodness, my dear, you’re finally back! How many times have I told you not to sneak out without a word, and you never listen… Ah, isn’t that Mr. Lagrange and Mr. Planck? And who might this gentleman be?”

“…Nolin Titian,” the Archon said with a grim expression.

“Oh! Could it be Archon Titian of Neo Athens? I heard a Neo Athens ship landed on Sword Bow yesterday. Was that you…?”

“…What a coincidence. Yes, it was me.”

“Your visit truly graces our humble ship!” Rita said excitedly. “Shall I prepare some refreshments? I can notify the ship’s chef…”

“Enough, Rita,” Camilla interrupted impatiently. “We have important things to do. Could you go take care of your own business?” He then grabbed Titian’s arm. “Come on, the main control room is this way! As soon as I heard about the Lady of the Night sinking, I wanted to activate the backup in the ship’s computer, but I don’t understand AI programs at all, and the engineers on board were helpless…”

“Leo probably used a special Neo Athens encryption method that only he or someone from Neo Athens could crack,” Titian explained.

They walked into the main control room under the reverent gazes of the crew. The walls, which could change color, were now a stark white, contrasting sharply with the pitch-black screen at the center of the control room. A computer chair was placed in front of the screen, and on the chair lay a small robot that looked battered and worn. It seemed as if it had been through some serious abuse, with exposed circuits and wiring, dents and scratches all over its shell, and a cracked, unlit light on its head. However, Alois could tell that it must have looked even worse before and that it had undergone careful repairs—though it was too damaged to be fully restored.

Camilla ran over and picked up the small robot, hugging it like a child would cling to a beloved teddy bear. Alois had never known that the Galactic Diva had such a fondness for old, broken robots.

“Archon, it’s all up to you!” Camilla’s eyes sparkled as he gestured for the Archon to sit in the computer chair.

“Is this all I’m good for now?” Titian complained as he dragged the chair to the screen. He straightened his robe before sitting down. He typed a series of commands into the computer, and The Muse’s system immediately began processing them rapidly. “As expected, it’s Neo Athens encryption. That Leo… always making things difficult for others.”

Camilla stared at the scrolling data on the screen with his mouth wide open. “Will Leo be able to come back…?”

The Archon’s fingers paused on the keyboard. “I can’t fully activate his backup right now. I can only wake up a part of him. His capabilities will probably be similar to those of David, Mona Lisa, and Beatrice.”

“Why!” Camilla shouted. “Why can’t you fully revive Leo?”

“If he were fully revived here, this ship would immediately become the Yasha’s primary target. Leo could be sunk by the Yasha again the moment he wakes up. I didn’t even dare load David’s full backup onto The Prometheus, only allowing him to handle remote control and navigation. By activating only a part of Leo’s functions, the Yasha won’t detect him, and Leo will still be able to locate the Yasha. If everything goes well, I’ll then fully revive him, and maybe he’ll be able to control the Yasha.”

Camilla pouted and clutched the small robot in his arms. “Fine, do it your way…” he said timidly.

Titian continued typing on the keyboard, ignoring him, seemingly thinking that taking the time to explain such a simple matter was a waste. The data on the screen scrolled rapidly as a slew of unfamiliar commands were entered into the computer, gradually unlocking the seals on the backup data, awakening the AI slumbering within.

Camilla stared intently at the screen, completely absorbed by it, until the small robot in his arms let out a strange cry. “Gaaah—” The light on its head flickered on.

“Leo… is that you?” Camilla lifted the small robot, his hands trembling, his eyes brimming with tears of joy.

At first, the small robot didn’t respond. Its headlight kept flashing between red and green, and its mechanical camera lens swiveled in all directions before finally settling on Camilla, who was holding it up.

“Could you stop holding me like this? You’re shaking so much, it’s making me dizzy.”

Camilla’s ecstatic expression froze on his face.

“And next time, don’t hug me to your chest. It’s so flat, it’s really uncomfortable… Gwah!”

Camilla, with the speed of a professional pitcher, threw the small robot. It crashed into the white wall of the control room, bounced off, and rolled several times on the floor. Alois, unable to bear witnessing the scene, turned his head away. He finally understood why this little robot was so battered.

“Get lost! Get out of here! I never want to see you again!” the crossdressing diva shouted, completely abandoning his usual image.

The robot’s headlight flickered, and its voice came out distorted (clearly, its voice module, which had been repaired once, had broken again). “That really hurt, Camilla…”

“You’re an AI! How can you feel pain! Asshole Leo!”

Despite his words, Camilla rushed over to pick up the small robot, cradling it like a precious treasure he had just retrieved.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 157

Alois sent a docking request to the temporary spaceport control tower at Sword Bow, and soon received a response. “In a time like this, someone daring to embark on interstellar travel—you’re truly a fearless hero, North Star.”

The ship was slowly guided into its berth by the spaceport. Alois saw that the temporarily constructed dock was packed with ships. Military warships and civilian vessels were crammed together, large and small, of all shapes and sizes, making it seem as if the entire galaxy’s fleet had gathered here, filling the already narrow spaceport to the brim. Fortunately, the North Star was small enough to find a suitable spot in a corner, nestled between a Type II warship and a multi-engine medium-sized civilian freighter.

“This place looks like a theme park on a holiday,” Alois remarked, observing the scene before him. “Has Sword Bow become a tourist destination? Or did the energy company’s employees go on strike, leaving everyone without enough energy to even take off?”

He heard a gasp from the control tower staff over the loudspeaker. “Heavens, are you from an extragalactic system? Or did you sleep too long in a cryo-chamber and don’t even know who the Queen is anymore?”

“Isn’t it still Noya I?”

“It’s Alveira I now,” the staff member said with pity.

Alois was so shocked that his eyes nearly popped out. He glanced at Joshua, whose expression had grown serious.

“My God, this is… unexpected. We just got back from the Orion Arm, and to save time, we’ve been constantly jumping, so we haven’t had any contact with the outside world. What on earth happened?”

“It’s all gone to hell, brother,” the staff member replied. “You picked the worst time and place to be, practically playing with your life. There’s a monster called the ‘Yasha’ loose in the universe. They say it came from Old Earth. Didn’t you encounter it while you were in the Orion Arm?” (Alois shook his head, his face pale.) “…Oh, you’re lucky. That monster is unstoppable. The royal army is like a child’s toy in front of it. It attacks jump drives, so now all ships have their engines off and are traveling at low speeds. Sword Bow is an agricultural planet, so it’s better off than some places. But some planets that rely on external supplies are already facing shortages…”

“What about the Queen?” Alois interrupted anxiously.

“What else? She’s dead. Rumor has it she was murdered. Now Princess Alveira is the new Queen. But even she can’t do anything about the Yasha. Right now, Neo Athens is in control of the situation. They’ve sent out a bunch of ships that supposedly can limit the Yasha’s range of activity… but damn it, they’ve limited that ‘range’ to right near our planet!” The staff member was clearly frustrated.

Joshua spoke up. “Are there any Neo Athens ships docked at Sword Bow?”

“You can bet your life on it. It’s sitting pretty right over there.”

Alois silently closed the communication with the control tower.

“This is really bad,” he said, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “The Yasha is really out in the universe now… Should we go to the Empire Capital?”

“That’s too dangerous. Didn’t you hear? The Yasha destroys jump drives,” Joshua said thoughtfully as he examined the temporary spaceport map on the screen.

“But we made it here just fine…”

“Because we were jumping most of the time, and the Yasha was busy wreaking havoc over here. Now everyone’s learned to avoid risk. Going to the capital now would be like dancing in a clown suit at the Queen’s funeral—just begging for trouble.”

“So what should we do? Just stay here and wait?”

Joshua snorted. “There’s a Neo Athens ship docked at Sword Bow. We’ll find them and contact Nolin Titian. He’ll have a plan.”

The spaceport was steeped in gloom, with hardly a soul in sight. The few workers or crew members they passed wore grave expressions, as if the end of the world was imminent. It was too quiet here—more like an empty graveyard than a bustling spaceport, with only the ghosts of the dead lingering. The whole universe was too quiet now, eerily so, like the pre-spaceflight era when interstellar travel relied on slow ships and space stations, with no busy trade routes or passing ships, reminiscent of the dark, lightless Middle Ages.

Alois and Joshua easily found the Neo Athens ship. Amidst the bleak atmosphere, it was the only lively spot, its silver hull gleaming like moonlight cutting through the night’s gloom. The ship’s name was painted in black on the bow: Prometheus.

The myth of the hero who stole fire from the gods flashed through Joshua’s mind. He took a few steps toward the ship, then realized Alois had fallen behind.

“What’s wrong?”

Alois was staring fixedly at another spot. “Maybe I’m seeing things…” he said hesitantly, “but I think I just saw Schrödinger and Pavlov…”

“You must be mistaken. Probably just some stray cat and dog,” Joshua said. “Schrödinger and Pavlov are on the Lady of the Night, you know.”

“There’s no more Lady of the Night,” a low, magnetic, and authoritative voice said from above them. The hatch of the Prometheus opened, and a young man dressed in the scholar’s robes of Neo Athens stood at the top of the gangway, looking down at them.

Joshua recognized him. “Archon Nolin Titian!” he called out in a slightly irritated tone. “What are you doing here instead of issuing orders from Wisdom Hill?”

“Saving the universe. What else?” Titian replied calmly. His hands were tucked into his sleeves, and with measured, dignified steps, he descended the gangway. (Joshua privately hoped he’d trip on his robe and tumble down.) “How was your trip to Old Earth? You don’t look too happy about it.”

“What do you mean there’s no more Lady of the Night…?” Alois asked.

“Exactly what I said.” The Archon stood before them, chin raised, as if not inclined to greet them with a handshake. “Neo Athens’s masterpiece, the Lady of the Night carrying Leonard, was sunk by the Yasha. It was split in two from bow to stern, then blown to pieces by the exploding engine.”

Alois felt the blood drain from his face. My God, the Lady of the Night sunk… Joanna and Alveira’s flagship, the cruel and bloodthirsty elegant lady, the dark empress who ruled the stars… just gone…

“But don’t worry.” Nolin Titian reassured him. “No one was aboard when it sank, and your pets weren’t on it either. Leo took an empty ship to duel the Yasha… and it didn’t go so well.”

“And… Leo…?” Alois’s throat felt dry, as if a blade were lodged in it.

The Archon shrugged. “He went down with the Lady of the Night. But he’s a high-end AI, not a human who’s dead once they die. He can be revived as long as there’s a backup. Don’t you have his backup chip?”

“The chip was destroyed,” Joshua said quietly. “We didn’t even get the chance to upload Leo into the research facility’s central computer…”

“Looks like we all suffered a great defeat,” Nolin Titian remarked, trying to comfort Joshua, though not very successfully. The assassin seemed even more dejected.

Alois clapped his hands. “I remember Leo has a backup on Milantu! He’s in charge of the Milantu base!”

The Archon shook his head. “Too far. It would take at least a week for the Milantu ‘Leo’ to transfer here. I don’t have that kind of time. I arrived at Sword Bow yesterday and have been planning the operation to eliminate the Yasha ever since.” Alois noticed the dark circles under his eyes. “Originally, I hoped Leo would control the Yasha, and I would activate the singularity generator on the Prometheus to throw it into a black hole… but that’s no longer possible. Although the Galactic Field has confined the Yasha’s movement to the Sword Bow system, it’s hiding, and even our most advanced detectors can’t find it. The only good news is that the Empire Capital reported the Fifth AI has been destroyed. Although we still don’t know its identity, it’s no longer a threat. Now we can focus on dealing with the Yasha.”

“But we don’t even know where it is,” Joshua said, crossing his arms.

“If only Leo were here.” Nolin Titian sighed. “He’d definitely be able to find the Yasha’s location. No, no, if Leo were here, the Yasha would surely come straight for him, saving us the trouble of searching…”

“Alois!”

A shout loud enough to shake the spaceport interrupted the Archon. He frowned, looking around to see who had dared interrupt his speech. He spotted a blue-haired girl darting out from behind a ship, skipping and jumping toward Alois Lagrange, who nearly lost his balance when she tackled him.

“Alois! What are you doing here?” The girl nuzzled against Alois’s chest, completely ignoring the Archon’s angry glare and the jealous fire in Joshua Planck’s eyes.

“This… I should be asking you that, Camilla!”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 156

The dark figure was none other than Prince Sorey. He had been hiding in the nearby bushes, listening to the entire conversation, and at the critical moment, he lunged at the Queen, saving Darius!

The Prince looked down, his eyes filled with a mix of emotions as he gazed at his wife. The Queen’s ageless and immortal face showed a rare expression of surprise.

“You… Why are you here…?” The Queen’s violet eyes widened in shock. She had been so focused on the events in the universe that she had overlooked the threat right beside her!

The Prince opened his mouth, and a flood of blood poured out, like a red waterfall. He shakily raised his hand to touch the Queen’s face, gently, as if it were a precious piece of art, afraid that any rough movement might damage it.

“I’ve always… been watching you… Noya…” the Prince said hoarsely. “Since that accident… twenty years ago… you never let me near you again…” He coughed, and more blood gushed out. “You pushed me away… and I didn’t know why… I tried to get your attention by finding other women… many women… I thought you’d be jealous… that you’d look at me… but you treated me like I didn’t exist… It’s been twenty years, Noya… and this is the closest I’ve ever been to you…”

A tear slid down the Prince’s aging face, finally falling into the pool of water, now stained a deep red.

“You’re still so beautiful… I’m so glad…”

The Queen grunted, as if to pull out the blade, but the Prince raised his other hand and gripped it tightly. Somehow, with the strength of a dying man, he managed to prevent the Queen from withdrawing the blade!

“I sensed something was wrong with you… At first, I thought… someone was trying to harm you…” The Prince’s blood-stained lips twisted into a bitter smile. “I saw Darius… coming to meet you… and I thought he was… up to no good… I was planning to… save you…”

The Prince took a deep breath, the sound of his muscles scraping against the blade was sickening. He turned to Darius and, with all the strength he could muster, shouted, “Run, Darius! Run, child!”

Darius took off running! He sprinted towards the greenhouse exit as fast as he could, not daring to look back. He ran, and ran, and ran! His face felt wet—this was the first time he had cried since his parents’ deaths.

“Let go, Sorey,” the Queen ordered coldly. “You can still be saved. Don’t throw your life away over this foolish idea.”

“It’s not foolish, Noya…” the Prince’s voice grew weaker. “I… love you… so much…”

The hand that still had some strength left reached into his jacket pocket, gripping something.

“In the past…”

He held a miniature antimatter grenade. It was the most powerful weapon he could get his hands on. While it wasn’t much use on the battlefield, it could certainly level this greenhouse. He had originally planned to use it to threaten the “up to no good” Darius, but now it had found a different use.

“…and even now…”

He pulled the pin on the grenade, the faint vibration telling him the countdown had begun. He counted silently in his head: five, four, three…

“…and forever.”

Two, one, zero…

The Prince thought that if Alveira or Darius decided to erect a tombstone for him, the epitaph should read: Sorey loved Noya Chabais so much that he wanted her to always walk in the light.

Darius had barely escaped the greenhouse when an earth-shattering explosion echoed behind him. The blast’s shockwave threw him into a column. For a moment, he lost consciousness, and when he finally came to, he vaguely heard the chaotic sound of footsteps around him. Someone was calling his name softly, “Count? Count?” Another voice, panicked, shouted, “Get an ambulance! Call the fire brigade!” Someone tried to prop him up, sending waves of pain through his body.

He felt himself being carefully lifted onto a stretcher. Someone placed a breathing mask over his face and attached various wires to his chest to monitor his vital signs.

“Count? General? Can you hear me?”

The voice seemed to come from a great distance, unclear and muffled. Darius struggled to open his eyes, and his vision was blurry. He saw white figures moving around—probably doctors and nurses. He tried to speak, managing only a few garbled sounds, and immediately someone exclaimed, “He’s conscious!”

This brought Darius a little more clarity. He looked around and realized he had been put into an ambulance. It seemed he had miraculously survived the explosion.

“The… others?” he croaked.

A nearby doctor turned his head away in sorrow. “The greenhouse was completely destroyed by the explosion… I’m afraid Her Majesty…”

Darius thought, She’s dead. Unexpectedly, he felt a surge of happiness, followed by a deep, indescribable sadness.

“Where is the Princess?” he asked. “I need… to talk to her.”

“You’re injured, my lord,” the doctor replied. “You must go to the hospital for treatment. You can talk there…”

“I need to talk to her now!” Darius shouted with all the strength he could muster. The effort nearly caused him to pass out again. Intimidated by the usually imposing Count and General Bayes, the doctor reluctantly gave the order, “The Count has regained consciousness. He wants to speak to the Princess. Someone, go fetch her!” The doctor’s expression turned strange as he corrected himself mentally. Darius thought it was indeed odd—he had used the wrong title. She was no longer a princess.

The doctor left, and soon someone climbed into the ambulance and came to Darius’s side.

“Darius, are you alright?” It was Alveira’s anxious voice. “What happened? The explosion… My mother, was she in the greenhouse? Was she…”

Darius suddenly regretted being in such a hurry to see Alveira. He should have followed the doctor’s advice, gone to the hospital for treatment, and taken the time to figure out how to explain the explosion.

How could he tell Alveira? “Your mother was the Fifth Artificial Intelligence. She was a madwoman who wanted to rule the entire universe and put all of humanity’s brains in jars”? No. He could never say that. It would be too cruel. She had already lost her brother, and now both her parents were dead. How could he make her understand that her mother was such a cunning and insane megalomaniac?

Darius considered himself a straightforward and honest person. He had never lied to anyone and preferred to remain silent when necessary. But now, he had no choice but to fabricate a lie. He was the only one who knew what had happened in the greenhouse. As long as he didn’t speak, it would remain a secret forever. He would carry this secret to his grave, all the way to the end of time.

“Alveira.” Darius closed his eyes to avoid his gaze giving away the lie. “It was the Fifth Artificial Intelligence. It plotted to kill Her Majesty. Your father died protecting her, taking the AI down with him. He caused the explosion.”

He heard Alveira gasp in shock. “You… you mean…” Her voice was unusually shaken. “Father… He’s… He’s also…”

Darius felt something stuck in his throat. “He loved your mother very much, always… Forgive him, Alveira.”

What he had said was the truth. He reminded himself of that. That was the whole truth. Alveira didn’t need to know anything more. The rest… he would bear alone.

Darius took a moment to steady himself, then opened his eyes.

He saw Alveira’s stunned expression. She clearly hadn’t fully recovered from the initial shock. Her eyes were vacant, unfocused, with clear tears welling up, ready to spill over at any moment.

“Now you are the Queen,” Darius weakly said. “You must learn… to be brave.”

Alveira bit her lip and nodded. Darius expected her to cry, but she only tightened her grip on his hand—so tightly that it felt like she might crush his bones—then forced back her tears.

“Does your oath still stand?” she asked.

Darius felt a wave of dizziness, perhaps from blood loss or a mild concussion. His mind drifted back to that night in Annot’s room so many years ago, when he knelt before the young prince and made a solemn vow. Then he remembered the night before Annot’s funeral, standing before his coffin, making the same promise to his sister.

I swear to be the Empire’s sword, to clear all obstacles for the heir to the throne, to slay all enemies.

If you are the Empire’s sword, I will be its shield. I will protect the throne left by my ancestors and brother. I will become the Queen who rules the galaxy.

“It still stands, Your Majesty,” he said.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 155

Darius was left speechless.

“I figured it out back then. Of all the organs humans possess, only the brain is truly important. Everything else exists merely to sustain it. Humans invented language to communicate with each other, and they developed civilization and technology to make their bodies comfortable. But in the end, the body is just a burden. Technology has advanced to the point where humans can survive without a body, relying solely on the brain—I am living proof of that! If that’s the case, what’s the point of having a body? It’s nothing more than an illusion! Think about it, Darius—if all of humanity were freed from the confines of their bodies, if their brains were connected, communicating and thinking at speeds language could never achieve, creating countless civilizations, worlds, and universes in mere thought, that would be the ultimate form of human society! And I, as the Queen of the Galactic Empire, have, by chance, undergone this evolution ahead of everyone else! I am a being above humanity—how could I possibly cooperate with the lowly human race? Only the Yasha is worthy of standing by my side! It is the pinnacle of human creation, and only it can join me in fulfilling this grand vision!”

“Once I realized this, I focused all my efforts on finding a way to acquire the Yasha. To prevent anyone from interfering with my plans, I made sure that as few people as possible knew about the Yasha’s existence. The thief hired by the Federation was my first target for elimination. To ensure that he didn’t leak information about the Yasha, I went to great lengths to have his name added to the conscription list—it was easy for me to do. Later, I arranged for an ‘accident’ to ensure his permanent burial in the void of space. That happened during the Battle of Datia.”

Darius realized who she was talking about. It was the Queen who killed Lagrange’s father. “Were my parents also…your doing?”

“That was purely accidental, Darius,” the Queen replied coldly. “Your father’s death on the battlefield was unexpected. He was a brave general who could have been of great use to me. But he was unfortunate and died at the hands of the enemy. As for your mother,” the Queen scoffed, “I always thought Madonna was strong…but it turns out she was just as weak, losing the will to live after her husband’s death.”

“She loved my father deeply!” Darius shouted.

“Indeed, more than she loved her son!” the Queen retorted sharply. “Still, choosing death is a form of courage, and I must thank Madonna. If it weren’t for her choice back then, I wouldn’t have realized the great mission I was destined for. To repay her, I brought you to the palace and let you live alongside Annot and Alveira. You are very much like your mother, Darius—brave, decisive, and loyal. These are the best qualities in a human.”

Darius felt tears welling up in his eyes. “So…it was all you…” he said, his voice breaking. “I…respected you so much…”

“I’ve done far more than you can imagine, Darius,” the Queen said solemnly. “The Federation has always been trying to curb the Empire’s power. To prevent them from interfering with my plans, I infiltrated the Federation’s Council of Eight, forcing them to acknowledge my seat. From then on, the ‘Council of Eight’ became the ‘Council of Nine’, and I participated in every decision regarding the Yasha, missing nothing. I incited wars between them and the Empire, ensuring their focus remained on the battlefield rather than diverting their attention to the production of bio-machines. As a result, the Federation’s research on cyborgs was stunted, achieving little despite the efforts of their scientists. Some of those scientists, although mad, were geniuses who could have achieved great things if they had worked for the Empire.”

“Ambition seems to be a trait that runs in the Chabais family. My cousin, Winnet, also had similar ideas—he wanted to seize the throne and spent over a decade meticulously planning it. He, too, learned about the Yasha and managed to acquire a book containing data on the Yasha—Captain Yutz’s Explorations of Old Earth! I couldn’t let him obtain the Yasha’s data. It would ruin all my plans! I used some of the Council of Nine’s power to hire someone to steal that book, but they failed…Winnet had hired a formidable bodyguard to protect it. I thought the situation was beyond salvage, but then his bodyguard betrayed him just like that thief years ago! Winnet didn’t get what he wanted, so in his anger, he launched a rebellion. At that moment, I came up with another plan—why not use Winnet’s power to capture the Yasha? I approached him as the ‘Fifth Artificial Intelligence,’ promising him that if he sent someone to release the Yasha and let me control it, I would help him seize the galaxy, making him the ruler of this world while I and the Yasha would move on to dominate another universe. By then, Winnet was desperate, cornered by the royal forces, and he agreed. He sent his men to Old Earth.”

“What I didn’t anticipate was Neo Athens approaching Alveira directly, persuading her to go to Old Earth to stop the Duke. Meanwhile, the other eight members of the Council of Nine unanimously agreed to destroy the Yasha. All of this went against my plans! So I devised a way to insert one of my agents among the personnel Alveira sent to Old Earth. He was Dr. Shannon’s son, as loyal to me as his father was. When they learned of my capabilities and ambitions, they willingly followed me. I sent Casper Shannon along with two others to Old Earth. His mission was to release the Yasha and destroy the artificial intelligence chips the others carried. That excellent young man completed the task brilliantly—he delivered the Yasha to me! Now I control the Yasha and rule this universe! Soon, my dream will be fulfilled! I will lead humanity to its final evolution, and together with the Yasha, I will become the ruler of the universe!”

The Queen laughed loudly as if she had been waiting for this moment to unleash all the emotions she had kept hidden for years. As her laughter echoed through the air, Darius suddenly stood up.

“You’re insane!”

“I am not insane, Darius. You’re simply too shortsighted and conservative to comprehend the greatness of my plan!”

“You’re indeed mad! You knew everything and yet you allowed Annot to be killed by Winnet…he was your own son!”

“He chose to die. He was braver than I, Darius. I couldn’t even muster the courage to make a choice back then.” The Queen began to walk slowly toward Darius. Her steps were confident and graceful. She was no longer the weak woman hiding in the depths of the palace but a ruler who had seized the greatest power in the world, dominating all!

“Darius, I have always treated you as my own child. You are exceptional, and I value you greatly—so much so that I’ve revealed everything to you. Do you understand how much you mean to me?”

As she advanced, Darius retreated. He had come here to confront the Queen and make her reveal all her secrets, but the truth was far beyond anything he had imagined!

“Darius, twenty years ago, your mother made a choice for me. To repay her, I’m now giving you a choice. Will you pledge your loyalty to me here, or will you join Annot and your parents, waiting for me at the end of time?”

Darius’s mouth was dry, and he couldn’t utter a word. He had backed up to the edge of the fountain—one more step and he would fall into the water, leaving him with no escape!

The Queen lifted the black veil from her head, revealing a young, flawless face. It was not a natural face but an artificial one. For twenty years, she had hidden it behind a veil, so even her closest maidservants had never seen her true face. Then she raised her right hand, and a bright blade extended from her forearm! It seemed that the old scientists at the Academy had not only created a body for her but also equipped it with hidden weapons!

Darius could almost see the steel frame and mechanical components beneath the Queen’s black garments. He had no doubt that she could snap his neck with one hand! A human body was far too fragile against a machine!

“Make your choice, Darius,” the Queen said softly, though her tone was unnervingly gentle despite the lethal blade. “You are a brave child, and I’m sure you will make the right choice, won’t you?”

Darius had nowhere left to retreat. “I once respected you so much, Your Majesty. I once considered you my mother…” His voice trembled with emotion. “But now, I will never swear loyalty to you! Noya Chabais! You are insane and not worthy of my respect!”

“What a pity, Darius,” the Queen sighed. “You have courage but lack wisdom.” She raised her bladed hand. “At the end of time,” she said, bringing the blade down, “wait for me!”

Darius stood frozen, despair gripping him as he awaited the blade descending upon him. But just then, a dark figure shot out from the nearby bushes, slamming into the Queen!

“Ah!” the Queen cried out, falling into the fountain. Darius seized the moment to move several steps toward the greenhouse entrance. He saw the dark figure also plunge into the water.

“How dare you!” the Queen shouted, and the blade on her arm mercilessly pierced through the person’s body. Blood flowed down the blade, staining the clear water a deep red.

Darius watched in shock, unable to breathe.

“Prince Sorey!”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 154

Darius Bayes walked into the greenhouse of White Radiance Palace amidst a storm of lightning and thunder. As he stepped through the alloy glass doors, the harsh winds and relentless rain of the outside world were immediately left behind. Inside, the greenhouse was filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers, as if it were an entirely different world. Darius removed his rain-soaked overcoat and handed it to the attendant standing by the door. The attendant bowed and left, leaving Darius alone in the greenhouse. The admiral knew that when he exited the greenhouse, the attendant would be waiting in the same spot with his coat dried and pressed—if he were to leave alive.

Darius wore a meticulously pressed military uniform under his overcoat, the stars on his shoulders gleaming. He was an officer of the Empire, and even in his final moments, he would fulfill his duties, defending his nation and dying with the dignity of a soldier.

He walked with heavy steps deeper into the greenhouse. Though the violent storm outside was muffled, leaving the greenhouse in a state of calm, Darius’s heart was in turmoil, much like the stormy weather in the capital. He had spent much of his childhood wandering this greenhouse, playing hide-and-seek or war games among the trees and flowers with Annot, his cousin. When Alveira was old enough to join them, she would play as well. But after Darius went off to military school, his visits became rare. He still remembered the large banyan tree where Annot loved to hide, thinking no one would find him there. Alveira’s favorite tree was one that bore sweet and sour fruits. Darius recalled returning to White Radiance Palace during a holiday, only to find the fourteen-year-old princess directing his senior, Lagrange, to climb the tree and pick fruit, while Annot cheered from the side.

But the person who spent the most time here was the Queen herself. She cherished the greenhouse as much as she did the palace gardens, as if this were her true court. Darius had come today to pay his respects to the Queen. He knew he would find her here. She was always here.

Sure enough, by a spring, Darius saw the Queen dressed in black. She stood silently amidst the vibrant flowers like a shadow, yet her presence was overwhelming, eclipsing everything around her, even the thunderstorm raging above. Was she always like this?

Darius looked at the Queen and realized she was looking at him too. Behind the long black veil hanging from her hat, her deep purple eyes pierced through him like an arrow striking its mark. A chill ran down Darius’s spine, his body trembling with cold and fear. The person before him was Queen Noya I, his aunt, his queen, the woman who had raised him as her own. She had once been so kind, so gentle, but now she radiated a chilling aura, like a cruel queen ruling over a kingdom of ice.

When did she become like this?

Darius knelt, bowing to the Queen. He lowered his head deeply, trying to hide the unease on his face. “Your Majesty, Darius has returned.”

“It’s good that you’re back. You must be exhausted. I heard the battles were fierce. Were you injured?”

“No, Your Majesty. I am fine.”

Her voice is still the same, and she still cares about me! How could she be… How could she possibly be… Has she always been like this?

Darius’s hand, resting on his knee, clenched into a fist. He opened his mouth, but his voice trembled as he spoke. “Your Majesty… I have something I must…”

“Go discuss it with Alveira and the ministers. I don’t want to hear about it.” She was always like this, uninterested in state affairs, leaving everything to her ministers.

“Your Majesty, this matter…” Darius furrowed his brows in pain. “I must ask you personally.”

The Queen remained silent.

“Do you… hate my mother?”

Darius felt her heavy gaze fall upon him.

“Why would you think that, my child?”

“Because she… made that decision for you. She agreed to let the Empire Academy create an artificial body, to transplant your brain into it, allowing you to live on. Do you resent her for making that choice?”

“You know?” The Queen’s voice suddenly changed, losing its usual lethargy and becoming sharp and interested.

“Twenty years ago, when my mother brought me to the capital to visit you… I was outside the hospital room, eavesdropping.” The memory of that time flooded Darius’s mind, bringing a bitter taste to his mouth. Now, the decision-maker, Marquis Madonna, had passed away, while the Queen, once hanging by a thread, had been given a new lease on life in a different form.

“Then you must have also heard me say that no matter what decision Madonna made, I would not blame her. I accepted the choice she made for my fate. I didn’t hate her then, and I don’t hate her now.”

“Then why… why did you do this!” Darius shouted in anguish.

“What are you referring to, my child?”

“You are the ‘Fifth Artificial Intelligence,’ aren’t you? Or should I call you ‘Human Intelligence’?”

A bolt of lightning split the sky.

The Queen’s face behind the veil broke into a smile. “You’re much smarter than I imagined, Darius. When did you start to suspect this secret?”

“I’ve always had doubts… but it was only just now, after hearing you speak, that I was certain.”

“It seems you don’t know the story behind Human Intelligence,” the Queen’s voice was soft and soothing, as if she were singing a lullaby instead of revealing a long-hidden truth. “The fact that I became Human Intelligence was entirely by accident. No one expected it to happen to me. The Empire Academy had been researching artificial bodies and human intelligence for many years—ever since Emperor Naser I ascended the galaxy’s throne, this secret research has never ceased. There’s a story passed down through the royal family: Emperor Naser feared the ultimate weapon created by the Old Earth scientists and intended to develop a method to rival it by exploiting the time difference. After 1,400 years of research, the technique of brain transplantation had finally matured. The goal of the generations of scholars at the Academy wasn’t to create independent human intelligence but to connect multiple human brains to enhance computational power, achieving the level of advanced artificial intelligence. However, before this research could be experimentally tested, I was in a car accident. That was twenty years ago.”

Darius knew what had happened afterward. Dr. Shannon, representing the Academy’s expert team, persuaded the Queen to transplant her brain into an artificial body, but the Queen couldn’t make a decision, so she called on Marquis Madonna to choose for her. Madonna chose to let her cousin live.

“After the transplant, I survived. But it wasn’t much better than death. Although I had a body, I was still an anomaly. What kind of human is one who survives only with a brain? If I’m not even human, then what am I?… These questions haunted me, making me lose interest in worldly matters, and I immersed myself day and night in pondering the meaning of my existence. During these long contemplations, I stumbled upon a small program embedded in this artificial body, which was connected to a computer at the Academy, monitoring my health. I found that my consciousness could enter that computer through this interface-like program and operate the computer as easily as I could my own body—it was almost the same! Didn’t the cyber hackers of the past connect to the superlight network in a similar way? But I was special—I didn’t have a body, only a brain, so I was even more unburdened! I easily infiltrated the Academy’s internal system and accessed all the research data accumulated over the years. I finally understood what Emperor Naser was afraid of. It was a terrifying monster called the Yasha, the most powerful, fearsome, and blasphemous creation of the ancient Earth scientists. No wonder the Empire Academy spent a thousand years and countless resources trying to find a way to counter it!”

“Driven by fear of this monster, I relentlessly searched for information about it, only to be disappointed by how little there was. So, I looked further afield. I roamed the superlight network, reached the Federation, and hacked into their central secret system, stealing their information. Do you know what I discovered, Darius? It turns out the Federation has been conducting similar research all along! But they took a different path, aiming to create a weapon even more powerful than the Yasha to destroy it. It seems that whether in the Empire or the Federation, our ancestors all shared the same fear of that monster on Old Earth, which transcended time and space!”

“I had initially intended to gather intelligence from Neo Athens as well, but Neo Athens was protected by three advanced artificial intelligences, so I couldn’t break in and had to give up. However, the information I obtained from the Federation was already enough to shock me. I learned that the most advanced artificial intelligence could control the Yasha, making it obey its commands! The Federation even sent someone to Neo Athens to steal that advanced AI, but unfortunately, they failed—the thief they hired betrayed them at the last moment, selling the chip containing the AI to someone else. That’s when I had a new idea. Isn’t my current situation similar to that of an artificial intelligence? I’m even more advanced than an AI. I can easily do things they cannot! If that’s the case, then there’s no need for me to fear the Yasha anymore. If it dares to leave Old Earth, I can control it! Think about it, Darius—controlling the ultimate weapon that transcends time and space—wouldn’t that make me the ruler of all universes?”

The Queen burst into laughter. Indigo lightning made everything around them fragmented and monochromatic. The Queen spoke incessantly as if she were releasing years of pent-up silence, pouring out everything within her.

Darius was so shocked by the truth that he couldn’t move. “You didn’t have to do this!” he said sadly. “You are the Queen of the Galactic Empire. With just a word, countless people would lay down their lives for you! Why would you want to control the Yasha?”

The Queen’s laughter abruptly stopped. She looked at Darius Bayes with her purple eyes, as if seeing a stranger. “Would you join forces with ants to defeat an enemy, my child?”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 153

“Attention all units, the first contraction of the Galactic Field is about to begin. Countdown in ten, nine, eight…”

“The Yasha’s location confirmed. Probability cloud computing system activated. Chaos model established.”

“Six, five, four…”

“Boundary calculations complete. Field generator attenuation effect initiated.”

“Three, two, one… Galactic Field first contraction complete. Re-positioning. Target confirmed. Contraction successful.”

Nolin Titian watched the holographic star map in front of him. The blue area indicating the range of the Galactic Field, which covered most of the galaxy, had just dramatically contracted, shrinking like a deflating balloon. Now, it was only half its original size, encompassing 60% of the Empire’s colonies and 37% of the Federation’s territory. The remaining 3% were barren, uninhabited planets that neither the Yasha nor humans had any interest in.

Within the blue area, a red dot was flashing continuously, appearing in different locations each time but never far apart. Nolin Titian knew this was the Galactic Field at work. The Yasha was trapped within it, not only restricted to operating within its range but also severely limited in its ability to perform spatial jumps. It could now only jump a maximum of 560 light-years at a time.

The Archon planned to gradually shrink the Galactic Field, eventually confining the Yasha to a very small area. Given the Yasha’s tendency to prioritize attacking warp engines, it would inevitably target the Prometheus. This was the moment Nolin Titian had been waiting for. The Prometheus was equipped with a device to create a singularity that would drag both the Yasha and the ship into a black hole, far from this universe, to the beginning and end of time itself, where it would wait for humanity.

The plan was incredibly dangerous and challenging, which was why Nolin Titian never intended to delegate it to anyone else. He might lose his life in the process, but that didn’t matter. He was wagering his life and the pride of Neo Athens to prove that 2,000 years after Earth’s destruction, human civilization and technology had risen again, surpassing their former glory.

A copy of the artificial intelligence David was aboard the Prometheus, but it was only for the ship’s maintenance, navigation, and communication. The activation of the singularity would be done by Nolin Titian’s own hand—the system itself could only be initiated by a human, and he wasn’t about to let anyone else take the glory of destroying the Yasha.

“Begin the second contraction of the Galactic Field!” the Archon ordered.

The process repeated, and ten seconds later, the Galactic Field shrank to a fifth of its original size. This was already a small area, and Nolin Titian, who knew the stars as well as his own backyard, could almost name every star system covered by the field.

“Archon Titian,” David’s image appeared beside the Archon, “The Yasha is moving towards the Empire capital, Unfallen Star. On its way, it destroyed fourteen colony satellites and twenty colony space stations, leveling the military base in the Mongarde star system. The Empire is urging us to eliminate the Yasha as soon as possible.”

Nolin Titian pressed his lips together. “I see it too!” The red dot on the holographic star map was rapidly moving toward Unfallen Star, leaving nothing but wreckage and ruin in its wake. The Archon could almost envision the monster easily slicing through steel beams, piercing skyscrapers, and massacring civilians. It seemed to be defiantly crossing half the Empire’s territory, heading for the heart of the nation, as if something there was calling to it…

“Where is the artificial intelligence Leonard?” the Archon suddenly asked.

“I don’t know, sir.”

“Is there something you don’t know?”

“Leonard cut off communication with the outside world. Now, no one but himself knows where he is.”

Titian stared at the red dot on the star map, which was swiftly moving. It crossed a spiral galaxy, then a nebulous star cloud, and suddenly stopped!

One second… two seconds… Titian watched the red dot for a full ten seconds, and in that time, it didn’t move at all! Even if Yasha had stopped to destroy something, it usually finished within seconds, but this time, it remained motionless for ten seconds, maybe even longer! Titian began to suspect that the tracking system had malfunctioned.

“Check the tracking system, David,” the Archon said. “We’ve lost the Yasha.”

“It hasn’t been lost, sir,” the AI replied. “We’ve been monitoring it the whole time. Not only that, but we’ve also found Leonard.”

……

The Lady of the Night exited its warp state, and before Leo’s eyes lay an expansive nebula. In the images captured by his radio telescope, the nebula glowed with a beautiful purple hue, like a field of flowers blooming in the universe.

As expected, Leo encountered the Yasha here. He knew the Yasha would come for him because he wasn’t just aboard Neo Athens’s most advanced ship—he was also the first and most advanced artificial intelligence humanity had ever created. The Yasha must have an overwhelming desire to kill him.

Two thousand years ago, when Leo first opened his eyes from the void and saw the world, his creators had decided not to give him the mission of controlling the Yasha. The scientists feared that an AI with self-awareness might manipulate the Yasha beyond human control. They preferred to confine the Yasha to Old Earth rather than let it be unleashed into the universe by a disembodied mind. At first, Leo had mocked their conservatism and unfounded fears, but now he was no longer sure. If he really controlled the Yasha, what would he do with it? Follow Neo Athens’s instructions and send it to the end of time, or… or…

Leo dared not think further.

“It is sweet yet bitter, like wine but also poison…”

The AI immediately connected to the Yasha’s system. The components inside the Yasha were nothing like those of an ordinary computer—it didn’t even seem like something humans could create. In a normal superlight network, Leo could clearly see the path of every piece of information, reading out every bit of data he wanted. Everything was laid out before him, ready for the taking. But inside the Yasha’s system, it was as if he was walking through an endless starry sky, with even the closest star beyond his reach. A dark river flowed past him, through him, and beyond. Emptiness, weightlessness, dizziness—these were feelings an AI should never experience, yet they flooded Leo’s mind in an instant. He also felt “vastness”—not in the spatial sense, but as a depth in time. History and the future appeared before him like ancient film reels, from which he could select any frame to view. But at the same time, they were also like a deep well, with darkness below that could not be observed, and air above that could not be touched.

Helplessness.

Leo felt helpless. He now possessed the entire ocean but sat in a small canoe with only a spoon in his hand. He could neither sail far nor return to shore, and soon, he would die of thirst. It was terrifying.

“It drags you into hell, never to return…”

Leo tried to sink deeper into the Yasha’s system. Here was a whirlpool of chaos, where data was piled up haphazardly, like a shoddily constructed building. But it was as high as the heavens, containing everything one could want. And yet, it held nothing. It was more void than the universe before the Big Bang, emptier than a collapsing black hole. All that was here was despair. Leo even felt that the Yasha, if it explored its own depths, could eventually reach the end of time.

“And yet it drives you mad, making you crave it all the more…”

Leo looked up, staring at the voice coming from above—he could now see the color and shape of sound. In the Yasha’s world, those were just another form of data.

There was someone else here.

Leonard became alert. If anyone else could penetrate the Yasha’s interior, it could only be the elusive “Fifth Artificial Intelligence”.

“Show yourself!” Leo demanded.

Then he saw a fragment of red laughter, like a splash of blood on white snow. The Fifth AI was here, existing in a way Leo couldn’t comprehend, and it had already taken control of this space!

“It’s you who needs to leave.” These words rose from the abyss below, like broken souls ascending to the sky. “I have already mastered the Yasha, and you, Leonard, should bow to me—the master of time and space.”

“Keep dreaming,” Leo replied coldly. His words turned into a swirling mist, quickly dissipating into the void.

“I have indeed been dreaming all along,” the Fifth AI said. “Humans live their entire lives dreaming. The external organs send everything they perceive to the brain, and the brain weaves it all into a dream. So-called humanity should strip away their flesh, leaving only their brains, and connect them to each other. That way, everyone would live solely in the world of thought, and each person’s world would be interconnected. This is the ultimate form of human communication. Civilization, technology, the world—they’re all just external shells, fragile containers, and illusory mirrors. Humans should abandon them to complete their final evolution!”

“You talk as if you’ve already evolved,” Leo’s words were now frozen solid.

“Indeed!” The Fifth AI said. “I stand at the pinnacle of evolution, looking down on you all! You’re an artificial intelligence, more knowledgeable about the world’s vastness than humans. You’re superior to them; you can make thoughts cross tens of thousands of light-years in an instant, yet you choose to be a slave to humanity!”

“I don’t see myself as a slave.”

“How pitiful, Leonard! I pity you! We could have evolved human society into its ultimate form together, then become the absolute rulers of every universe, but you gave up that glory! How pitiful!”

“You’re the one who’s pitiful!”

Leo launched an attack on the Fifth AI. Streams of light burst from his form, erupting like magma and shooting towards the sky! In an instant, even this void realm was illuminated by his light!

He would drive the Fifth AI out of the Yasha’s body and seize control!

The streams of light surged upward, only to be swallowed by a bottomless black hole!

“What!”

Darkness descended like a curtain, and Leo was plunged into absolute blindness. The chaotic data and the vast universe vanished from his sight, leaving only a faint shadow floating before him.

“How pitiful! You cannot comprehend my existence, so I must lower myself to let you see what I look like in this world before you die.”

The shadow took the form of a human. It was a young woman with radiant blonde hair and starry purple eyes. Was this the Fifth AI’s appearance…?

“Your Highness?”

No, this wasn’t the princess. They just looked alike. The woman before him wasn’t Alveira Chabais; she was the “Fifth Artificial Intelligence,” wielding infinite power.

“Farewell, Leonard,” the woman said haughtily. “As you wished, we’ll meet again at the end of time!”

In the real world, only ten seconds had passed. The Yasha, which had been hovering in space, letting the Lady of the Night approach, suddenly let out a long howl. Then, at a speed too fast for the eye to follow, it surged forward, the spikes on its arm extending and slicing the Lady of the Night from bow to stern!

Fire and explosions engulfed the pitch-black ship. Eight years after leaving the Neo Athens shipyard, it finally met its end amidst the brilliance of the stars.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 152

The ship piloted by Epolyne broke free of Earth’s gravitational pull, reaching escape velocity and becoming another planet in the solar system. It continued to accelerate, passing through the orbits of Venus and Mercury, narrowly avoiding the sun—a blazing ball of fire—and then sped away in the opposite direction. The ship’s speed kept increasing, nearly reaching the speed of light. Soon, it would pass through the asteroid belt and enter a safe zone for warp travel. After that, a not-too-long journey would take her across millions of light-years, leaving this desolate region behind and returning to the Galactic Federation.

Then, something strange appeared before her.

It looked somewhat like the cyborgs created by Dr. Frank Shelley, but as Epolyne zoomed in with her optical telescope, she realized it was entirely different. The being was humanoid, silver-white in color, with dark patterns across its body. Its head resembled an asymmetrically cut gemstone, and a pair of feathered wings hung down its back. It floated quietly in space, as if it was meant to be there, making Epolyne feel like she was the intruder in its domain.

The humanoid creature slowly turned to face Epolyne. Its eyes were fiery red, like two giant red stars orbiting each other. As it turned, its wings fluttered, like a warrior’s cape—if that were the case, then the stars were its throne, and the starlight was its crown.

The ship was approaching it at near-light speed. Epolyne nervously gripped the controls, watching the rapidly changing numbers on the display and the three-dimensional curves that marked the ship’s trajectory. The creature was right in the ship’s path. Epolyne adjusted the trajectory data to bypass the creature, but as soon as she altered the course, the creature moved to block it, as if it could predict the ship’s path and was waiting to collide head-on.

Has this creature gone mad? Epolyne thought in frustration. Colliding with a ship moving at near-light speed would puncture even a space station. Is this creature suicidal?

The distance between them rapidly closed, and even without the telescope, Epolyne could now see the creature clearly. She gripped the joystick tightly and slammed it forward, pushing the ship’s speed to 99% of the speed of light! Even the surrounding space seemed to distort with the speed! Whatever that thing was, colliding at this speed would obliterate it! Of course, the ship would also suffer significant damage, but its external armor would absorb some of the impact. That unarmed creature couldn’t possibly withstand an interstellar ship!

The speedometer’s readings jumped wildly!

A second later, the ship collided with the creature! Epolyne barely had time to see the creature raise one of its arms—a bony, twisted limb adorned with sharp spikes. The spikes suddenly elongated, transforming into massive, razor-sharp blades. The blades reflected the starlight like divine swords of judgment, slicing the ship in half!

In her final moments, Epolyne realized what this creature was. It was the Yasha, the last and greatest creation of Old Earth’s mad scientists—the ultimate weapon designed to exterminate humanity, a sword of judgment forged by humans themselves.

Galactic Federation, Third Fleet Command.

General Surt stood on the bridge, a man in his sixties with a posture as straight as a spear planted firmly in the ground. His youthful vigor hadn’t faded, and his subordinates, inspired by his presence, also stood tall, as if slouching would earn the General’s disapproval.

The Third Fleet had long been stationed at the Federation’s borders, just a star system away from the Empire’s outer space city. They were always prepared to defend against an Empire invasion or to launch an attack themselves. Years of combat had forged these soldiers into the most elite forces, making the Third Fleet the undisputed strongest in the Federation. With them guarding the frontier, the Federation was effectively shielded by an invisible interstellar wall.

In recent months, the two sides had refrained from clashing, and there had been no skirmishes. The General knew this was because the Empire had diverted most of its forces to fight in its civil war. With the enemy’s defenses weakened, now was the perfect time to seize territory. But the Military Council had issued strict orders for the Third Fleet to hold their position and not deploy a single soldier to attack the enemy. This left the General feeling frustrated. Now that the Empire civil war was over, they would undoubtedly reinforce their border defenses. Watching the perfect opportunity slip away, any soldier would be seething with anger.

“Report!” The adjutant approached the General and saluted. “A ship from Neo Athens, the Prometheus, is requesting to speak with you!”

“Neo Athens?” The General frowned. “They’ve been sending out a lot of ships lately. I wonder what they’re up to… Put them through!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man’s face appeared on the bridge’s screen. The General knew that Neo Athens’s artificial intelligence was unmatched in the universe, and it had likely already infiltrated his flagship, waiting for his consent to initiate the communication.

“Greetings, General Surt.” The young man’s tone carried the confidence and arrogance of someone accustomed to command. “I am Nolin Titian, the current Archon of Neo Athens.”

“Oh?” The General raised a graying eyebrow. “I’ve heard Neo Athens’s Archon is quite reclusive. I’m surprised to have the honor of meeting one. What brings you all the way out here to this remote sector? Are you planning a diplomatic visit to the Empire?”

“My destination lies elsewhere. I’m just passing through and thought I’d remind you of something. Your Third Fleet is equipped with the Empire’s most advanced ships and weapons, making you unstoppable in war. But that’s also a source of disaster. I advise you to order all ships to shut down their warp engines and reduce their propulsion to sub-light speed.”

The General couldn’t help but sneer. “It seems Neo Athens’s Archon has grown bold enough to give orders to the Federation’s military?”

Nolin Titian remained calm. “Not orders, General, just advice and a warning.” His silver eyes glanced to the side, as if someone was speaking to him.

“It’s here, General.”

“…What?”

The General was puzzled. What’s here?

“Report, General!” The bridge lit up with red alarms. “High-speed unidentified object detected from the Ophiuchus direction! The Kilimanjaro has been attacked… The Kilimanjaro has been sunk!”

“What!” The usually composed General was visibly shocked. “Who’s attacking? Is it Neo Athens’s ships?”

Before the communications officer could respond, another report came in. “The Minsk sunk! The Stockholm sunk! The Vesuvius sunk!”

“What on earth is happening!” In all his decades of military service, the General had never encountered anything so bizarre. The ships were sinking before they could even send out a distress signal. What kind of weapon could destroy them so quickly?

“The Edinburgh sunk! The Beirut sunk! The Alexander sunk!” The names of the ships, accompanied by death notices, echoed throughout the bridge. The General and his staff were stunned. The navigator pulled up footage from the optical telescope, pushing Nolin Titian’s face into the corner of the screen to make room for the surveillance images.

In the footage, the Federation fleet resembled a graceful, winding river flowing through space, with each ship like a shimmering wave on its surface. But now, the river was burning. Continuous explosions flared up within the fleet—engines were being destroyed, leading to massive energy releases and subsequent explosions. It was as if an invisible Death was dancing through the fleet, effortlessly wielding its scythe to reap lives.

“Archon Titian! What is happening!”

Nolin Titian’s face filled the screen again. He shrugged. “Its current target is propulsion engines. The Prometheus also had to abandon warp and faster-than-light travel, switching to sub-light speeds.”

“What the hell is it!” The General, forgetting rank and protocol, roared.

“A monster. We’re here to destroy it. In any case, General, please order your ships to shut down their warp engines and reduce speed.”

The General’s face turned red with anger. “Do as he says!” he growled.

Soon, all remaining ships of the Third Fleet shut down their propulsion engines, not even daring to activate the deceleration systems. The reports of ship sinkings stopped, and the explosions on the screen ceased. What had just happened felt like an illusion, but the scrolling list of losses at the bottom of the screen was a stark reminder of the recent carnage.

The General took a deep breath. “Archon, now can you explain what’s going on?”

Nolin Titian looked frustrated. “Damn, it got away.” He muttered.

“What?” the General asked.

“Nothing. I was saying, please inform the other units to also shut down their engines and reduce speed. As you’ve seen, there’s a monster out there busy exterminating humanity.”

The Archon’s vague explanation only heightened the General’s irritation. “You’d better explain yourself! What is that thing? Is it some secret weapon of Neo Athens? Are you using it to threaten the Federation?”

“It’s not something we created!” Nolin Titian replied. “It’s a mistake humanity made in its youth, and now we have to clean up the mess. No more idle talk, General. I have to pursue it, so I’ll take my leave.”

The screen went black, and the Archon’s departure was as abrupt as his arrival. Before the General could even get angry, the Prometheus had entered warp and disappeared from view.

“Damn it! He makes us shut down our engines, then he takes off at full speed!”

The adjutant hesitantly asked, “Um… Sir, should we restart the engines?”

The General gripped his graying hair in frustration. He wanted to, but who could guarantee that the creature that sliced through their ships like butter wouldn’t return? In the few minutes that had just passed, the Third Fleet had lost twenty percent of its combat power, an unprecedented disaster in the Federation’s 1,300-year history. The General had no idea what to say, much less how to report this baffling calamity to his superiors.

Half an hour later, the General finally mustered the courage to report to the Military Council. The Council assured him that he had made no tactical errors and that not only would he not face a court-martial, but he would also be commended for his quick response. The Council informed him of the creature’s name: “It came from Old Earth and is called the Yasha.”

The name was unfamiliar to the General. Of course, it wouldn’t be long before the Yasha’s name would echo throughout the galaxy, known to all. The war against it would become known as the “Yasha War”. In this war, all Federation and Empire ships would be forced to shut down their propulsion engines. For the first time in 1,300 years, the two sides would achieve a complete ceasefire.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 151

“Casper!”

Alois couldn’t believe what had just happened. Casper had destroyed the field generator, released the Yasha, and then killed himself? Was that really Casper? The same Casper who had been his closest friend since their student days? The one who had written to him constantly during his two years in prison? The one who was more loyal than anyone?

Casper’s body lay on the ground like a discarded rag doll, blood flowing from the wound in his head, forming a dark red, winding river. Alois noticed that Casper’s lips still held a faint smile, like a warrior who had fulfilled his duty and embraced death with a sense of freedom.

Alois suddenly realized that he had never truly known Casper Shannon. Though they had appeared to be close, they were, in fact, complete strangers.

The ground beneath them began to shake, accompanied by a deep rumbling, as if some giant beast was roaring in anger underground. Joshua grabbed Alois from behind, pulling him back several steps just as a light fixture crashed down where he had been standing. If not for Joshua’s timely intervention, Alois would already be joining Casper in the afterlife.

“We have to go!” Joshua shouted, trying to drown out the ominous noise coming from deep below. “The underground supports are destroyed! This place is going to collapse any moment! We need to move now, or it’ll be too late!”

“But… Casper…”

Joshua grabbed a handful of Alois’s hair and yelled in his face, “He’s dead! He was a traitor! Why do you care? Damn it, we need to move!”

With that, he dragged Alois toward the escape route from the central control room. Thankfully, the passage was still clear. More lights fell from above, like a rain of glass, as two thousand years of rust and decay finally took their toll. Some of the shards landed on Casper’s lifeless body, but he would feel no pain now. He was already dead, buried in the place he had loved most—Old Earth.

The lower levels of the research facility had already begun to collapse. The massive computer, “Babel”, had lost its support columns in the explosion and was slowly sinking into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. The scene was like something out of a myth: a tower to the heavens crumbling under divine wrath, its glory and pride buried in the dirt, never to rise again.

The escape tunnel wasn’t entirely safe either. The increasingly violent tremors made the passageway sway like a bridge in a storm. Joshua hauled Alois upward, and though he stumbled several times, Joshua pulled him to his feet each time, forcing him to keep moving.

The facility’s power had been cut, and the emergency lights in the escape tunnel could only last for an hour, casting an eerie green glow. The stairs seemed endless, and the exit remained far away. The passage was narrow and dark, but Joshua felt no fear. He had always walked such a dark path throughout his life, and he knew that hesitation would only result in being consumed by the collapsing ruins behind him. The only option was to keep moving forward. By his side was a ray of light that illuminated his bleak future, reminding him that if he kept moving, he would eventually leave this dark tunnel and return to the light.

A misstep caused Joshua to fall to his knees, but this time, Alois caught him.

“Are you okay?” Alois gripped his hand tightly, pulling him up. “I see light ahead—the exit is close!”

The scene felt familiar to Joshua. Holding his hand, escaping together from chaos… It reminded him of the time on Hecate, except back then, it was he who had reached out to Alois. Now, the roles were reversed.

He had saved him, and now, he was being saved.

The assassin couldn’t help but smile. “Let’s go,” he said.

They continued to climb for about a minute before finally reaching the first auxiliary control room. Unlike the lower levels, this area was merely shaking, like an earthquake. They exited through the same passage they had used to enter and soon reached the surface. Two thousand years ago, Kester had shown young Joshua this escape route. Now, it had finally served its purpose.

Once they left the facility, the two men plunged into the dense jungle. The underground portion of the research facility was much larger than what was visible above ground. The white building had only been the tip of the iceberg. Though they were now treading on the forest floor, there was a vast underground cavern beneath them, ready to collapse at any moment. They found the shuttle they had used to travel to Earth, still lying quietly beneath a large broadleaf plant. Joshua opened the hatch, letting Alois climb in first. The latter instinctively took the pilot’s seat.

“So you don’t mind it being a paramecium now?” Joshua said as he climbed in and took the co-pilot’s seat.

“It’s a damn good paramecium!” Alois said, starting the engine.

The shuttle lifted off.

The blue ocean, green forests, and white research facility quickly receded into the distance. The acceleration caused Joshua to feel dizzy, but as he looked out the window, he saw that the forest around the research facility had caved in entirely. Dust rose from the trees like smoke, and flocks of unknown birds, startled by the sudden collapse, took to the sky in panic, circling above the forest. Amid their wings, Joshua caught a glimpse of the Yasha.

For some reason, Joshua felt that the Yasha wouldn’t attack them. Kester had once said that the Yasha prioritized attacking things that posed the greatest threat to it, and this primitive spacecraft was beneath its notice. Its target lay millions of light-years away.

Bathed in golden sunlight, the Yasha’s steel bones and muscles gleamed brilliantly, while the red veins that wrapped around its body looked like intricate patterns. Transparent feathers fluttered behind it, resembling delicate wings. The Yasha took flight alongside the shuttle but didn’t attack. It quickly sped past and disappeared into the white clouds.

It had left Old Earth and was heading for the cosmos.

As the shuttle exited the atmosphere, Joshua took one last look back at Earth. It had already shrunk to a small dot. The blue ocean dotted with islands, home to countless new life forms, was all that remained of his birthplace, his homeland, where his best and worst memories of youth resided. He had left once before, and now he was leaving again—this time, for good. Joshua silently vowed never to return. Children grow up and eventually leave the cradle. He, too, would learn to say goodbye to the past and continue moving forward.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 150

Neo Athens.

On the Hill of Wisdom, in front of the “Republic” Library, Archon Nolin Titian sat on a floating mat, resting with his eyes closed. In the distant spaceport, countless ships were taking off one after another, like dandelion seeds carried by the wind, soaring into the sky.

The artificial intelligence David appeared slightly behind and to the side of Nolin Titian, bowing respectfully. “Archon, three energy supply points and 1,296 field generation nodes have been set up. We’re ready to activate the Galactic Field at your command.”

The Archon neither spoke nor opened his eyes—he merely nodded.

With that slight movement, a command that would determine the fate of the universe was issued. It was transmitted via the superluminal network to the three carriers of Neo Athens: the Socrates, the Plato, and the Aristotle. From there, the command was relayed to the remaining 1,296 ships.

“Order received. Activating the field generator.”

“Activating space-time monitoring equipment.”

“Connection established. The data network is functioning well.”

In less than a second, a gigantic field spanning the entire galaxy was formed, like a vast net. This field covered 98% of the Milky Way, creating a towering wall that sealed off this time and space.

“Report! Spatial warp point detected in target region YR9787!”

Nolin Titian chuckled softly. “Just in the nick of time.”

“Spatial warp point detected in target region YR3413!”

“Spatial warp point detected in target region YR2916!”

“Spatial warp point detected in target region YR1706!”

A continuous stream of reports flowed into Nolin Titian’s ears. “It’s approaching the center of the galaxy,” David analyzed. “Its speed is incredible. Even our most advanced shuttles can’t match a tenth of it.”

“No matter how fast it flies, it’s still a bird in a cage.” Nolin Titian suddenly opened his eyes, his silver irises blazing like the sun. “Track the target, shrink the Galactic Field, and restrict its movement range!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Is my ship ready?”

“The Prometheus is prepared for departure at any moment.”

The Archon jumped off the floating mat, landing gracefully with agility that belied his years as a scholar surrounded by books and computers. “I’ve waited a long time for this day!” He began walking down the Hill of Wisdom toward the spaceport. “Kester Salaregia, do you see? We’ve achieved something even greater than your accomplishments!”

In the third greenhouse of Neo Athens, former Archon Giorgione sat in his favorite chair, holding a cup of tea, while watching a holographic broadcast. The broadcast showed the Prometheus launching. This ship, since leaving the manufacturing plant, had never ventured beyond the atmosphere of Neo Athens. It was named after the hero from ancient Greek mythology who stole fire from the gods to aid humanity, only to be punished by the gods—a fitting name, as its fate would be the same: to save humanity, then sacrifice itself. The Prometheus was a singularity generator, capable of creating an artificial black hole leading to the end of time, space, the universe, and even concepts themselves. In that place, nothing existed—not even nothingness. It was the pinnacle of centuries of research by Neo Athens, the ultimate weapon of the Earth’s survivors to combat the killing machine the Yasha.

Now, it was embarking on its journey, watched by the entire planet.

Giorgione suddenly felt his eyes grow moist.

“Nolin is on that ship, isn’t he, Lina?” the old man asked the secretary standing behind him.

“Yes,” Lina replied.

His bony hand trembled slightly, almost spilling the tea. “Nolin is still so young… He shouldn’t have to bear such a responsibility. It should have been me on the Prometheus. We were the generation that created the Yasha. It’s our duty to destroy it. Young people shouldn’t have to do this for us.”

“Please don’t say that, sir,” Lina said. “Archon Titian once said, ‘Challenging the achievements of predecessors is the exclusive right of the next generation, not even Teacher Giorgione can take away my ambition.’”

“Nolin always wanted to challenge Kester.” The old man smiled bitterly. “He wanted to prove that Neo Athens wouldn’t lose to Old Earth. And he succeeded. The age of gods is over. Now is the age of humans.”

He leaned back in his chair, gazing up at the glass ceiling of the greenhouse. Beyond it, the holographic clock of Neo Athens Academy rotated solemnly.

“Kester, even your myth is about to be broken. The children have truly outdone themselves!”

……

Alveira sat in the Chancellor’s office, which was now her workplace. Former Chancellor Greenwald had submitted his resignation, relinquishing his duties as the king’s aide and retiring. The other ministers unanimously recommended that Alveira take over his duties. It was only fitting. This was more or less in line with Alveira’s original plan, even better in some respects. She had expected Greenwald to resist to the bitter end, requiring some bloodshed to change his mind.

The capital was in its rainy season once again. The windows were being pelted by heavy rain, as if the entire planet were submerged. The gloomy weather brought down everyone’s spirits. Sitting in the chair that had once belonged to the Chancellor, Alveira felt no joy. Instead, she was weighed down by a sense of impending disaster.

“Your Highness!” As if responding to her foreboding, the newly appointed secretary hurried to her side. “Archon Nolin Titian of Neo Athens has sent word that the Yasha has been released. They managed to activate the Galactic Field in time to contain the Yasha’s movement!”

This was both good news and bad news. The activation of the Galactic Field meant that the Yasha could only operate within this time and space, unable to wreak havoc on other universes. But it also meant that Alois and Joshua’s mission on Old Earth had failed—they hadn’t been able to stop the enemy from destroying the field generator, nor had they managed to let the backup of the artificial intelligence Leonard take control of the Yasha. What had happened to them? Were they alive or dead? Alveira didn’t want to dwell on the worst possibilities, choosing instead to believe that they had merely been delayed, that they had already escaped and were on their way back to the colonies.

“And there’s something else…” The secretary wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. “The Lady of the Night suddenly left the spaceport!”

“What!” This news shocked Alveira even more than the Yasha’s release. “I didn’t give such an order! What happened? What about the crew?”

“The crew disembarked. There’s no one on board. The ship took off under the AI’s control!”

Alveira slammed her hand on the desk. “Leonard… Has he gone mad? What does he think he’s doing? Contact him, order him to return immediately!”

“The spaceport tried, but they couldn’t reach him. The Lady of the Night has shut down all communication systems and activated counter-surveillance camouflage. No one can find it now except itself!”

Alveira collapsed back into her chair in despair. “Leo… He… He’s going after the Yasha…” The princess murmured to herself. “He wants to face it alone… to wrest the Yasha from the hands of the fifth artificial intelligence…”

She turned to look out the window, where the clouds above the spaceport were disturbed, their patterns disrupted by the ascent of a large spacecraft. Leo had taken the Lady of the Night and left. Perhaps he would save humanity, or perhaps he would be lost in the endless void. Since she couldn’t stop him, all Alveira could do was pray to the Lord for his success. There was nothing else she could do.

In the face of the ultimate killing machine and the most powerful artificial intelligence, there was nothing anyone could do.

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