Little Chu Zao, holding up his little crown, blinked at him.
Bathed in the crown’s light, Chao Huangmu’s whole figure was revealed as he huddled in the corner, then slumped back down to the floor.
The teenage boy was drenched in sweat, his military coat discarded with only a training vest left. The black vest was soaked through, but even at just a bit over ten years old, he was already quite tall. Since childhood, training had left his muscles well-defined but not overdone. He sweated so much that his black hair hung in locks over his forehead, shadows dancing on his face—
Chao Huangmu froze for a moment, trying to force a smile, but failed due to the discomfort from his mental power.
In the end, those deep, black eyes—which rarely showed emotion—on such a similarly impassive face, appeared somewhat unsettling.
Chao Huangmu seemed to realize this himself.
It was because of this that he first began to learn how to fake emotions—”Is there something wrong with this child? Why doesn’t he react to anything?”
Until he was sent to Holy Cas.
Now, Chao Huangmu lowered his gaze, its color deep, thick lashes veiling his eyes.
He didn’t have delicate features; still young, but his brightness and handsome, clean look showed through. He was paler than his peers no matter how much he trained, and his outstanding results made it easy for people to gather around and helplessly accept him—he always stood out at a glance.
Under Little Chu Zao’s crown light, he drooped his head, watching Zao Zao’s shadow approach, thinking—Ah… I still messed up, didn’t I?
How long had he been here?
How was it that Zao Zao had already come?
Suddenly, Chao Huangmu looked up.
“All right, just stay right there.”
Little Chu Zao was five steps away from him.
Chao Huangmu finally looked up at him again.
“Your Highness…”
His voice was very soft.
“Just stay there, for now… I’m dangerous.”
The surging, rebellious mental power trying to break his control felt better after entering the isolation room but wasn’t fully suppressed—Chao Huangmu was still young, and, in mastering his power, he was still wrestling with his own bloodline, not yet in full control.
Little Chu Zao indeed didn’t come any closer.
He kept shining his little crown at him, watching.
“Brother Mu.”
Not quite seven, the cub’s voice was still gentle.
“Are you all right?”
“…I’m fine.”
Chao Huangmu finally forced a weary puppy smile at Zao Zao, even scooting further back, restrained and polite but a bit distant.
That only lasted seconds before he broke down again.
His head drooped once more.
“Just ran into a little trouble, that’s all, Your Highness. I can handle it—”
He really could now; his situation was far better than before.
But as Zao Zao’s guard—
Wasn’t it possible for such a dangerous person as him to be cut out?
So useless.
For the first time, Chao Huangmu thought so poorly of himself.
He’d accomplished so much—yet failed here—
The little cub studied him.
Those big eyes brightened a bit—Chao Huangmu’s mood was dark as storm clouds, almost smothering him completely.
It looked quite serious.
Little Chu Zao pondered, then heard Chao Huangmu speak, his voice small: “…can you not revoke my qualification?”
Zao Zao was considering what to do, whether to ask Baba for help, but this mental power didn’t seem very threatening, and oddly enough, even smelled… delicious?
He then heard Chao Huangmu say that.
The little cub was startled: “Huh? What qualification?”
Chao Huangmu seemed to freeze but quickly looked up—
With many people watching from behind Zao Zao, he seriously replied, “The qualification to stand beside someone as cute, brave, hardworking, and outshining even the starlight—Zao Zao.”
It seemed, for a moment, as if the whole room fell silent.
Zao Zao was stunned.
He’d been left speechless by the sudden compliment.
Even the doorway—after a brief, strange quiet—plunged into minor chaos.
“Damn, where’d this brat learn to talk like that?”
“How did he learn to speak so well?”
“I seriously suspect all those vendors around the school are powerless to resist him—it’s all his shameless act! Not a single one can handle him.”
“Improving, huh? He’s trying to get better behind our backs? Learning fast!!”
“Great, us worried sick, can’t get close, afraid of mental power flare-up, and here he’s demonstrating self-improvement?”
“Is his mental power really out of control? Or is he faking?”
The boy didn’t smile, but that approachable face was so sincere that even those always dark eyes seemed to light up.
Little Chu Zao paused, putting the crown back atop his head, its light now a bit dimmer but still bright. The six little wings behind him didn’t fold up, but Chao Huangmu, too wracked with discomfort, didn’t notice there was now an extra fluffy pair.
He just watched Zao Zao, saw him take a few steps closer—their eyes nearly level since Chao Huangmu’s pain made him hunch lower.
Chao Huangmu wanted to say something else but fell silent.
Until Zao Zao drew near, fished in his pocket, then held out his hand—
Still that cotton-soft little voice, gentle and warm.
“Zao Zao just went back to where he used to live, and brought you a gift, a pretty little gem—want it?”
It was something Zao Zao picked up on the way to the Angel Spring with Amos.
Chao Huangmu stared, looking at the pretty, uncut but sparkling honey-colored gem in the cub’s open palm, a shade deeper than the cub’s own eyes—his favorite color these days.
His tension broken and attention shifted, he was stunned for just two seconds: “…want.”
Chao Huangmu reached out, placing his hand under the cub’s, waiting for Zao Zao to drop the gem.
But the little cub lowered his hand.
“Your Highness, the Soul Clan mental power is a bit wild. He can’t fully control it. It’s dangerous—don’t touch him—”
From the door came shouts from those who’d suffered from Chao Huangmu’s strange power before.
Chao Huangmu instinctively pulled back.
At the same time, his mental power abruptly surged forth, shooting out as a pitch-black, shadowy thing, snarling at Zao Zao.
The Soul Clan—much like the Crown Clan, another long-lived race.
They, too, could project mental power outward, but while the Crown Clan’s was weaponized, soulless, the Soul Clan’s assistive mental power was a semi-corporeal form.
This semi-corporeal mental power mirrored their deepest emotions and desires—some say it’s their alternate form, though no one’s actually seen another Soul Clan’s form.
The Soul Clan often couldn’t even control this power, and normal human darkness and unspeakable urges were amplified, making the Soul Clan a famously unstable, mad line even before the pollution hit.
Many galactic folk saw them as seriously defective immortals—they should’ve had a half-body like a robot, strictly following their will, but theirs just wouldn’t fuse, as if something was missing, dooming the race to chaos even before the pollution.
It was a miracle they lasted until the last decade.
Countless voices flashed in Chao Huangmu’s mind—’grab him’, ’eat him’, ‘so cute, smother him in your arms, squeeze him till he cannot breathe—’…
All sorts of shadowy feelings surged up. Chao Huangmu’s face went grim as the black mental power shadow lunged at Zao Zao. He ignored the searing pain in his mind, brutally grabbing the shadow and forcing it tighter—so fiercely even he was affected.
Now it was even harder to explain. He dared not look up at Zao Zao and fixed his anxious eyes on the floor, wanting to explain that after some time, he’d be better.
But—
His heart wasn’t really like that—
Chao Huangmu’s head drooped.
The topic that Zao Zao had skipped returned.
“Brother Mu.”
The cub’s voice sounded at his ear.
Chao Huangmu didn’t dare answer, bracing for a final judgment.
Then heard Zao Zao seem to gulp.
“Is this your mental power?”
Another gulp—
Zao Zao finally realized where that delicious smell from Chao Huangmu came from.
“It looks… really tasty.”
Chao Huangmu: …What?
Mental power clone: …?
Chao Huangmu’s head shot up blankly.
He saw Zao Zao looking at the seized mental power with pure, innocent, but very hungry eyes.
Chao Huangmu: …
The projected mental power, tuned to its master’s current state, shivered—wait, what does he mean, smells tasty?
That can’t be the usual meaning, right?
People in the doorway were dumbfounded, too.
Wait, this seems to be going in an odd direction.
Chao Huangmu snapped back, rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, carefully wiped his mental projection, then handed it to Zao Zao—
There, wiped clean—a snack.
Mental power clone: Don’t be ridiculous!!! You’re eating ‘people’!!!
That wild, dangerous consciousness tried to struggle free from Chao Huangmu’s grasp.
Amos’s cold voice passed through. Clearly, His Majesty’s attention had been on them from the start.
“Zao Zao, you mustn’t eat random things.”
The cub, about to try a nibble, shut his mouth at once.
All right.
But this mental power—Zao Zao didn’t feel any danger.
And it was still under Chao Huangmu’s control.
He held out the pretty gem again to Chao Huangmu.
“Relax.”
The little cub offered.
“Don’t be nervous, Brother Mu. My advice—The more tense you are, the easier it is to lose control.”
The more you care, the less you want something to happen, the more likely it is.
Chao Huangmu relaxed slightly, and even his fierce mental power grew tamer.
“See? Isn’t it fine?”
The little cub had been tasked by the medical center to relax this fellow.
He handed over the gem to Chao Huangmu, gently patted his own chest, and spread his little wings behind him—like the most dependable little angel.
“Also, don’t worry about those things. Zao Zao is very strong and will be even stronger.”
“You are a citizen of Holy Cas. Zao Zao is the future king of Holy Cas.”
The cub’s round bright eyes watched Chao Huangmu.
“This is your home, and Zao Zao will protect you, plus Baba—Baba is all-powerful.”
The little cub ended up boasting about his father, turning his head to confirm: “Isn’t that right, Baba?”
His Majesty Amos answered with resigned patience from outside.
You are a citizen of Holy Cas—this is your home—
Chao Huangmu gripped the gem, its facets pressing into his palm, but clearly softened, hard yet unable to pierce.
At last, he truly relaxed, body swaying after being tensed for so long since training began, his strength fading like the tide until his only grip was the gem as he slumped to the ground.
“The numbers have dropped. Looks like our guess was right. Him refusing to come out was the right move—outside the isolation room, only His Majesty and the princes could have restrained him.” —This was the infamous Soul Clan, after all.
Medical staff hurried in to check Chao Huangmu’s status.
Little Chu Zao retreated, watching him lean against the wall, his honey-colored eyes curved into a smile.
—Zao Zao was so cool just now.
Was he cool enough for Brother Mu?
The soft, plump little cub had at last recovered from the barrier-line’s emotions, redirecting his focus.
He turned to Yun Songquan and Peng Liang.
“Zao Zao brought gifts for you too—”
The cub fished about, then handed out pretty gems and little fruits, walking over with steady steps to let Peng Liang and Yun Songquan pick.
Behind the cub, an exhausted Chao Huangmu on the verge of closing his eyes clutched his gem and watched Zao Zao standing by the others, the world narrowing to a slit.
In the end, at that moment, he thought—That’s our young highness.
There are so many people by the little highness’s side—truly, such a highness—
But it’s all right; as long as there’s a place by Little Chu Zao’s side for me, that’s enough.
The rest—he wouldn’t care about.
At last, Chao Huangmu’s consciousness faded entirely into darkness.
“Your Majesty, he’s stabilized and asleep now.”
The medics quickly came to Amos’s side, quietly reporting.
Amos responded.
“The Soul Clan can be dangerous. We Crown Clan have rarely dealt with them in the past. Is it all right?” Frey showed some concern.
Especially since this Soul Clan child was close to Zao Zao.
Amos was thinking, too.
But Feeney spoke up.
Feeney, always adventurous and never restricting himself, had witnessed the whole scene.
“What’s the big deal? Clean background, raised by us since childhood, all checks clear, power controllable—Zao Zao can manage him, even wants a nibble; what could go wrong? Besides—”
Feeney shrugged.
“Look at Zao Zao—he’s turning all these folks to mush. Second bro, back at your age, you didn’t have a single subordinate this loyal.”
That was true.
The little cub had all his guards wrapped around his finger.
Amos finally looked Feeney up and down.
Feeney had come to fear being drawn into drills with Amos lately—truthfully, that had always been his temperament. That was why Amos had said from the start Feeney was unreliable, but usually, Amos couldn’t be bothered with it and nobody else could beat him, so his mouth was always running.
But now, Feeney had so many duels with Amos, he was edgy even under a look.
Feeney carefully edged back. “What?”
“Just surprised.”
Amos replied coolly, flatly stating fact.
“You occasionally do say something sensible.”
And with that, Amos even curved his lips in a smile.
It sounded like praise but felt like some strange mockery.
Feeney: …
Hey!
*
Meanwhile, at the polluted barrier—
Feiman and Ayala were inspecting the line, but with the little cub gone, didn’t dare go far.
Just a brief scan of the situation.
“There are so many beasts over there. Is there really another galaxy beyond? Can’t even imagine what it’s like.”
Ayala kept watch, glancing deeper in, casually smashing a beast trying to break through.
“Are there still people over there? Maybe it’s all beasts now. And—why exactly did the First Army and Ebinino insist on holding here?”
The pollution here stretched so far.
At the time, they could have retreated a little—but instead, they pressed on, resolute.
And finally stopped at this place.
Feiman was anxious to return to check on her grandfather, now distracted—
Nearby beasts, sensing her inattentiveness, lunged from cover.
She didn’t even raise an eyelid—cold, striking beauty giving her an unfriendly look. She casually lifted her hand and her spear skewered the would-be victor.
“Who knows what that environment is like over there.”
And on the other side of the pollution—
On a planet where beasts and humans were weirdly merged.
Inside a palace meeting room—
Someone noticed an anomaly and they gathered to discuss.
“The beasts near the pollution are acting violent? Any idea why?”
“Whatever. We’ve won again and again in this struggle to survive. As long as we’re not eaten, and we’re stronger than anyone else—that’s all that matters.”
“Of course, we’re strong. The mightiest empire, the strongest in the galaxy—”
“But the people living at the edge of the pollution are strange. They say they’re from—Holy, Holy what?”
“Don’t remember. No record of it in our history. Who knows if it’s real? So few of them, no fixed land, their technology is so backward, forget mechs—they’re not worth worrying about. Only a bit stronger in mental power than others, and beasts eat them better—we even left them a breeding stock, or they’d be extinct by now.”
“You’re right.”
Wild and overgrown in that other galaxy, their history started just centuries ago, generation after generation until now—with no inheritance and no records left, all a strange stability. No one cared.
*
Elsewhere, the Ninth Army warship had already reached Holy Cas imperial orbit.
“Looks like it’s raining outside—”
Feeney gazed out the window.
“Time sure flies. Almost winter again—”
Rain?
Hearing this, the little cub toddled over, his neat little wings fluttering, lifting off for a peek out the window.
“Third Uncle, third uncle—Zao Zao wants to see outside.”
The tiny cub clung to the window, peering up at Feeney.
Oh, so cute.
Feeney looked down at him, but the bad-hearted uncle hogged the best spot, even squeezing the cub, deliberately, “Not unless you trade me some candy.”
The cub stared, just looking at Feeney.
Amos, sitting nearby, never intervened in these childish scuffles, merely glanced at his file and said, “Don’t bully him.”
Juvenile, isn’t it?
Stealing a cub’s candy.
Feeney was about to say something when the cub landed, cheeks puffed: “Third Uncle.”
Meanie—stealing Zao Zao’s candy!
That won’t work just by calling, right—
Feeney was about to preen himself—
Then saw the cub’s wings fluff out, the tiny one staring at him.
No words, just starting to—puff up.
Puff up?!
Feeney froze.
Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his back.
On the side, Amos was turning his gaze over.
Feeney: …
Feeney immediately picked the cub up and set him at the best viewing point, smoothing his fluff and giving him a few pats—all in one smooth, practiced move.
Ayo, front row seat, right this way—