The disappearance of the bright orange pillar that had illuminated Earth’s sky didn’t go entirely unnoticed, especially when the sun hadn’t fully set and it was still somewhat dark outside.
One of those who noticed it was Murdok.
Sitting on a chair-like throne, a bottle of wine in hand, he stared out the window. His elegant robes contrasted sharply with his unkempt hair.
“Hmm? Somebody entered the last portal? The last time I saw that punk he didn’t say anything about trying to clear that little portal. Is he keeping things from me because now he knows I can’t act?” he muttered languidly to himself, his lips cracking into a grin.
“I hope he can keep entertaining me while I take a rest on this little planet.”
“But if he were to cross the line…”
His grin remained, but his face frosted over.
Crack
He didn’t move a muscle, nor did he stir the mana around him, yet cracks, like a spiderweb, appeared on the tiles beneath his feet.
No.
The cracks weren’t limited to those tiles. A closer look would reveal that every single tile in the apartment had fine fractures running through it.
Then his grin receded, and the usual languid expression settled back onto his face.
“It might have been a headache if this planet had any chance of clearing the last portal right now. But even if he sent his people inside, they would be merely courting death. Entering it so early is nothing but a death sentence.”
He thought aloud and took a sip, but even as he tilted the bottle more and more, nothing came out. When his head was fully tilted back, the bottle upended above his mouth, and not a single drop had come out, he finally straightened up and gave it a glance.
Seeing it was empty, he snorted and threw it to the floor before grabbing a new one, opening it, and taking a sip.
“Enjoyable. How enjoyable,” Murdok sighed in contentment, closing his eyes.
/////
It wasn’t only Murdok who noticed the change.
Far above, in space, many others did as well.
By now, tens of airships hovered just outside Earth’s atmosphere, concealed from the people below. Among them, each with a different color and style, were three that looked markedly different from the rest and were the most eye catching.
They were a crystal blue lotus petal that seemed to freeze the air around it, a meteorite with lava flowing across its surface, making it resemble a fireball, and, lastly, a green boat that floated as if riding on the wind itself.
Each of the three spanned nearly a hundred meters, and grouped together, they outshone all the other airships, which looked like ants before giants.
Yet none of the smaller ships complained.
Quite the opposite.
Even from hundreds of kilometers away, it seemed as if a single word from any of the three giants could instantly mobilize all the ants.
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Standing atop the meteorite was a bulky man with short, fire-red hair. His arms were crossed in front of his chest as he stared at the blue planet ahead.
When the orange pillar faded, he scoffed derisively. “Look at these ants, entering the Lesser Orange portal without any fear of death. Truly remarkable.”
He threw a glance at the lotus petal and the boat. “What do you two think?”
His voice wasn’t loud but, the two didn’t have any problem hearing him despite being a fair distance away from each other.
A refined man with long green hair and a relaxed smile stood atop the boat. His hands were clasped behind his back, and when he heard the question, he simply said, “What’s there to say?”
His eyes flicked back to Earth. “A low civilization will always be a low civilization. It doesn’t matter if they entered. But will they clear it? Of course not. As long as they survive and we can…”
At that moment, the bulky man on the meteorite frowned, while the eyes of the person sitting on the lotus petal, an aloof woman with long, icy-blue hair, dressed in a flowing white robe, glinted coldly with murderous intent.
Feeling both stares, the refined man stopped midsentence and smiled apologetically at them. “Forgive me, I almost slipped up.”
“Watch what you say,” the woman on the lotus petal said coldly, closing her eyes, clearly not wanting anything to do with the other two despite the bond they obviously shared.
The refined man hummed to himself and nodded twice. “I’ll try to.”
Riiiip
A space tearing sound resounded at that moment, catching everyone off guard as countless heads turned toward its source.
A few kilometers away from the three eye catching airships, if one could even call them that, the bow of a large red ship appeared out of nowhere as a space tear gradually expanded.
When the aloof woman, the bulky man, and the refined man saw the figurehead, a red phoenix, on the bow of the ship, their pupils immediately contracted.
As for everyone else, upon recognizing whose ship it was, their heads bowed and their knees hit the floor. They didn’t even dare breathe too loudly.
“Why are they here?” the refined man murmured to himself in trepidation, but the other two heard it as clearly as if it had been spoken aloud.
Yet they were at a loss for words. All they could do was watch as the ship slowly emerged from the space tear, now hundreds of meters wide.
Atop the ship stood a bald, middle-aged man with a flaming red beard, dressed in a long, bright red robe with silver trimmings and a red phoenix etched across it.
His gaze swept across everyone in the area making each and every one of them shiver in fright before settling on the three.
“Frost Planet Master, Ember Planet Master, Aero Planet Master,” he said clearly and slowly.
The three, albeit reluctantly, bowed.
“Frost Planet Master greets Fifth Elder.”
“Ember Planet Master greets Fifth Elder.”
“Aero Planet Master greets Fifth Elder.”
The Fifth Elder acted as if he hadn’t heard and continued, “Why are the three of you here?”
Why are we here? Why are YOU here?
That thought rang in all three of their minds. It was unknown how long it had been since an elder of the empire had traveled to a lower civilization, much less a planet that had yet to fully evolve.
But today, not only was an elder here, he was even using one of the few imperial ships.
That meant he hadn’t come on his own volition, and if he had, someone in a position higher than his must have granted him the use of the ship.
It was safe to say that the empire only used these ships during the gravest emergencies or when meeting with other empires, both to project authority and status. After all, such ships couldn’t be obtained with money alone. One also needed connections.
Not everyone could possess a vessel capable of tearing through space. The materials required to craft one were exceedingly rare, and rarer still was someone capable of forging it.
But how could any empire hope to earn the favor of such a master craftsman who lacked nothing? It was nearly impossible.
Despite the Fifth Elder’s question, none of the three responded. Instead, they remained silent, their backs slightly bent forward.
Knowing they wouldn’t be foolish enough to answer, the Fifth Elder spoke calmly. “Since you’ve taken the trouble to come here, I won’t tell you to scram. However, for the time being, you will remain obediently still and are only allowed to watch while I am here. I trust I don’t need to repeat myself.”
All three nodded, but inside, they were bitter.
We’re all on the same level of strength, yet just because you’re from the empire, I have to bow my head? I’m unwilling. I’m truly unwilling.
Despite their resentment, the Fifth Elder no longer spared them a glance. Instead, his gaze shifted toward Earth, his expression expectant.
If Murdok could see the current situation, it was impossible to know how he would react. The thing he feared most, someone from the empire showing up, had just happened, yet…
It was unfortunate that he couldn’t personally scan the airships above with his senses. All he could do was rely on his device to see how many ships were present. But not who.
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