The starships were descending rapidly, and before even touching down, countless Holy Cas soldiers leapt out in orderly ranks.
They moved quickly to establish a containment zone.
Some mecha teams, having received the news late and been slow to retreat, found themselves completely surrounded by the Holy Cas advance unit.
Who were these people—
They wondered, the countless black muzzles of the warship cannons almost pressed to their heads.
Having just witnessed the power of those cannons, none of them dared make a move.
From afar, Feiman had already seen Chu Zao, letting out a breath of relief.
After so many days with the Crown Clan’s cub missing, the entire clan was about to explode.
Meilun and Kaman left behind on the imperial planet aside—even Joshua, who lacked much combat experience, had nearly run from the imperial planet to the edge of the barrier.
Now that the cub was safe, the clan could breathe again.
Had anything happened, Feiman couldn’t imagine what sort of turmoil might have erupted within the slowly stabilizing Crown Clan—
Even for herself.
But Feiman very quickly realized the fight wasn’t over.
Because Little Chu Zao had already drawn his bow, arrow flying with a whistle.
The boy’s voice was clear, imbued with psionic force—“Uncle, he can still move—”
Having been born of the Angel Spring, now still merging the gift of the angels, this little cub was indeed a bit different from the rest of the Crown Clan.
Contamination was a kind of force, unseen and intangible; as it strengthened, the Crown Clan would gradually feel discomfort, as would humans, and contamination would also appropriate the power of the worlds it engulfed.
Normally, one monitored contamination through all kinds of instruments, as well as through Aberrant Beasts living in it, and the planets whose colors had become nothing but tones of black, white, and gray.
But this little one was more sensitive to the contamination than others.
Feeney was about to speak on his own behalf when he was caught off guard by the words, turning to look at Flashfire, now a heap of broken sludge at the bottom of the pit.
“What?”
Little Chu Zao’s arrow was quicker; that small chunk of flesh, suddenly aware, arched up and shot toward the sky.
Amos acted instantly.
Feeney’s wings unfurled at once and he followed.
The Crown Clan really didn’t understand much about high-level Aberrant Beast Commanders.
This was their first time witnessing it.
“Hey, hey, hey—”
Feeney muttered, drawing his bow.
“I never heard about this when I was learning psionics from the elders—a body pulverized like this can still survive?”
That’s not what Mother, what Solan told us.
Lady Solan, how about you get up and beat this thing yourself, look at it challenging your authority.
“Second brother! Third brother! Don’t chase too hard—”
Suddenly, Feiman called out.
“The starship’s picked up a massive influx of contamination! It’s encircling us!!”
Feiman had already ordered the Holy Cas soldiers to bring all spoils and rescued members back to the starship.
She looked to Feeney who’d chased after.
The only weakness of the Crown Clan—the coronet under contamination.
At that moment, Feeney’s head was pounding, the coronet atop his head under the influence of contamination beginning to dissipate bit by bit.
Ah…so infuriating.
Seeing this, Little Chu Zao couldn’t catch up in time and had to draw the bow again.
Meanwhile, the mecha pilots who’d managed to escape the survival field ahead of Holy Cas’s military control barely had time to breathe before being struck by a splitting headache—
Soon, in their confusion, they began to kill each other, then turn to self-harm—without special protection, they were no different from ordinary humans in the contamination and would perish to its power.
Eventually, some barely realized—
“Contamination, why is there contamination here—”
Covered in blood, clawing at his face, raking deep bloody scratches, terrified.
“Isn’t this supposed to be the site of the survival games?”
It was supposed to be a place suited for survival—
Indeed, the power contaminating the star region seemed to deliberately avoid this little patch, as if it were an island in an ocean of corruption, or perhaps a special farm.
The Aberrant Beasts who had evolved high intelligence all tacitly knew this, and maintained the region.
High-level Aberrant Beasts could guide and manipulate the contamination, shaping it into tides of corruption.
Unlike the spread of contamination elsewhere, which killed all life, they mainly used it to weaken humanity—just like the contamination tide that hit Holy Sanctuary before.
Now, as Flashfire neared death, he did everything he could to draw contamination in, summoning countless Aberrant Beast legions. The other high-ranking Aberrant Beasts, seeing the troublesome newcomers, added their own hand, making this contamination tide immense and surging in intensity.
Feeney was dragged down by the slower Amos.
And Little Chu Zao’s arrow soon arrived.
Feeney had no chance to dodge.
The arrow struck Feeney’s arm.
Chu Zao had just tried pouring the repair psionics for the coronet into the Arrow of Love and Peace; now, it truly paid off.
Feeney’s coronet, which had started to break apart, reformed and fused again.
Chu Zao exhaled, wiping sweat from his brow.
Those behind them had already boarded the starship; it was time for them to depart, too.
But they had managed to stop Flashfire.
He’d wounded Zao Zao’s wings—if he escaped alive, the Crown Clan could not accept it.
Feeney, staggering, paused in midair, no longer so brash as he looked at Amos.
Amos struck the last scraps of Flashfire with several sword blows, each landing. But this insectoid commander’s unique ability meant the molted Flashfire was metamorphosizing—so long as even a small part capable of thought survived, he could regenerate like a caterpillar.
With his terrifying recovery, and in the midst of the contamination, his power was instantly replenished—Flashfire had been so brash before because he had insectoid special abilities.
What were these things—
The fear crept in—each time Amos hacked him apart, it grew stronger—
Flashfire now had no mind to fight, if that could be called combat strength at all; all he wanted was escape.
This cunning, devious beast realized these people were very strong, but they seemed to fear contamination, not daring to charge in recklessly.
Flashfire didn’t know how the little one had noticed him, but he knew he had to get away fast—
He had to find a contaminated area and be reborn; he didn’t want to face the Crown Clan again until other Aberrant Beasts had dealt with these people—
What was that thing floating over their heads anyway!!
Was he getting away?
Amos’s coronet suddenly flared bright, his longsword shimmering, expression cold and savage—it was fine, Zao Zao could maintain things, as long as he blew Flashfire to pieces before the coronet fully shattered.
His Majesty Amos, judging from his last few strikes, found it not especially difficult.
Just then—
A roar echoed across the sky.
As Flashfire frantically tried to escape, that ever-closer figure blocked his path. With a low growl, Flashfire looked up—to find an enormous creature looming, wings spread, in its eyes two flames of eerie scarlet staring at him. Atop its head floated a half-shattered crown, visibly different from those below but still recognizable as a coronet.
Flashfire: …What is this?
It was—Ebinino.
Amos, meanwhile, hadn’t time to rush out; Feeney suddenly grabbed him.
Amos paused, turned to look at Feeney.
“Brother, second brother—”
Feeney’s face looked odd—that babyish face oddly suited his expression, but Amos, long used to his cheekiness, simply felt uncomfortable.
Hang on.
Amos quickly recounted the recent events—
Zao Zao shot an arrow, hitting Feeney, and Feeney’s coronet repaired itself—then—
Hiss—
No way?
Was that really Love and Peace?
“I heard humans have a ship called ‘boneships’—before, I—”
Feeney was stammering.
Before he finished, Amos clapped a hand over his mouth.
His own face blank, he fished a handkerchief from his pocket—the one he’d packed in a spatial ring for the little one—and stuffed it into Feeney’s mouth.
All right, enough, now shut your mouth and get out.
Settle the accounts later.
At the same time, His Majesty Amos regarded the contaminated zone he’d almost charged into, then Feeney, and for once felt a lucky escape.
Feeney’s eyes opened wide, muffled.
He had planned to explore further, and originally wanted to wait until Ebinino stabilized before investigating.
But things went differently than expected.
But Amos wasn’t without options.
He actually wasn’t too nervous now.
He gripped his psionic longsword, looking up at the massive figure overhead—
If things got really problematic, he could shift to his true form and drag Ebinino away.
It’s just a bit inconvenient.
“Dad—”
Chu Zao looked to Amos.
He’d fired several arrows, that power entering Ebinino’s body, slowing the shattering of Ebinino’s coronet, but it still wasn’t enough, and his own strength was steadily waning.
He couldn’t maintain it much longer—and Ebinino seemed deadlocked with contamination, trapped and enraged, his shattered coronet breaking faster.
Amos responded.
“It’s all right—do what you want to do, in the end you have Dad to back you up.”
Amos said, instantly calming Little Chu Zao.
Yes, Dad had his back.
Now that Dad was here.
The little one let out a long breath.
There was still some of his power left unmixed.
The power gained from the Angel Realm—if possible, he hoped its effect on Amos could be minimized.
And now—
“Dad, let me try one more time.”
Little Chu Zao drew his bow once again.
Before the contamination arrived.
The previous arrows seemed to have had some effect.
Ebinino roared, suddenly trembling. The usually emotionless, flame-red, instinct-driven eyes now flickered with some faint, unexplainable feeling.
Those eyes slowly met Little Chu Zao’s.
A faint resonance of psionics.
Like a somewhat weathered voice—‘Little one—’
Chu Zao’s eyes opened slightly.
He saw Ebinino, seemingly aware, act to escape in another way—just as long ago.
A rare psionic barrier spread out, aiming to shield others.
Once his barrier deployed, Ebinino turned and signaled them to follow—meanwhile, his coronet shattered faster.
“Great-grandpa?”
Ebinino had just regained clarity—
Well, not full clarity; the force of Chu Zao’s arrows had granted him greater awareness.
Fragmentary memories trickled back.
Surrounded by contamination, unable to retreat, only able to push forward—a final, total loss of self, not knowing whether any in the First Legion at the vanguard still lived.
He was always dwelling on it—he would make Holy Cas unshakeable, the empire’s dignity eternal.
And now—
It’s a child.
How wonderful.
Ebinino let out a roar.
He felt that familiar psionics, the flame-like red in his eyes flickering—
Were there any descendants from the First Legion?
That was good.
Truly good.
‘So good—that even if I stay here, it doesn’t matter—’
So good, that he got to see.
He actually got to see it for himself.
‘Hello, Amos’s—little one? Nice to finally meet you.’
Meanwhile, Holy Cas’s barrier line began to ripple faintly.
Chu Zao was gathering strength, and heard Great-grandpa speak.
He’d heard similar words when he was too young, saying goodbye to the angels.
Little Chu Zao’s coronet shone again, tiny psionic wings blooming from it—
“If you’ve heard it even once, that’s enough.”
In Ebinino’s eyes appeared the image of that bow-wielding, hand-outstretched little one—
And behind that figure, a somewhat familiar one—Amos.
Amos had grown—already an able, outstanding king.
So this was the Crown Clan’s heritage—yes, just so, exactly what he’d hoped to see.
It made Ebinino joyful.
Everything is meaningful, see, isn’t it, Amos?
So it’s all right—they’d endured so much loss, Holy Cas was still there, the Crown Clan too. Even if it was now his turn, it didn’t matter—it was always meant to be, but with such a race, such a legacy, to be a part of it was his greatest honor.
In the next moment—the arrow blazed with a dual fire, gold and black interwoven, shooting out, repelling and dispelling some of the contamination that resisted the barrier.
After all these millennia, the invincible pollution had met its nemesis.
In the depths, all trembled violently—the alarm on the starship eased a little.
Chu Zao felt his body’s heat surge, like the flare of childhood fevers, but forced himself to shoot again—brilliance arced: “But I promised, I told Auntie I’d bring Great-grandpa—home!”
Another deep roar came from Chu Zao’s side—as soon as the starship’s word came, Amos had already reached Ebinino—