Chapter 413: Reunion |
Jack took a deep gulp, downing the blue ale he’d been served. The locals called it Verneditch—similar to beer, except far stronger. Slamming his tankard on the table, Jack exclaimed, “So, what the hell are you guys doing here?”
“Hehe. Wouldn’t you like to know?” Gan Salin responded with a big smile. “As a matter of fact, the princess of this place and I got into an entanglement. You know, the physical sort. I mean sex.”
“There is no princess,” Nauja cut in, rolling her eyes. “We arrived at this galaxy to explore, then ended up hunted by some factions.”
“It was their fault, too,” Salin added. “They shouldn’t leave their starships unattended.”
“Starships are expensive,” Brock agreed.
Min Ling gave Jack an exasperated stare. “Are they really your friends?”
“Not just friends—these are some of my best friends in the universe!” Jack replied with a smile as wide as Salin’s.
The canine was exactly as Jack remembered him. Aloof, relaxed, with a penchant for randomness and an insane glint in his eyes. His short dark hair and white skin made him resemble a friendly human youth, if not for the long canines in his mouth.
As for Nauja, she had exchanged her fur clothes for more civilized attire—a set of brown leather armor which revealed her paper-white but highly muscular thighs and arms. Despite this change in clothing, she maintained a brutish, carefree aura, like an untamed wild animal brought to the city.
Jack leaned in. “So, you stole a starship and are being chased down. Are you at least enjoying it?”
“Oh, for sure!” Nauja replied. “We’ve been to so many places. Tribes, metropolises, wilderness, settlements between stars... Do you know there is a whale space monster so large it contains its own civilization? The people there are called Devons, and they are extremely pleasant. There was even a tornado spiraling from star to star. Tell him, Salin!”
“It was impressive.” Salin nodded in agreement. “I have to admit, these five years have been much crazier than I expected. What have you guys been up to?”
Jack didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Far less than you, apparently,” he replied, then retold his adventures since they liberated Earth. He spoke about the Cathedral, the many opponents he faced there, and his meteoric rise to power. He then explained about the hidden realm, only withholding the Archon’s inheritance—not because he didn’t trust them, but just in case anyone searched their mind in the future.
“Now we’re on our way back to Earth—discreetly, of course,” he finished. “As soon as we reach any base of the Church, we can go to the Cathedral, and it’s a straight line from there.”
Salin and Nauja looked at each other. “Which Cathedral?” Salin asked. “Surely not the one that was just conquered.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, man. This is going to suck for you guys. The Hand of God launched an all-out war against the Black Hole Church just a year ago. They started off by discovering the Cathedral and completely conquering it, then embarking on a witch hunt across the universe. They had spies, apparently—dozens of Church bases have been routed, with millions of cultivators killed.”
“Are you serious!?” Min Ling cried out. Her eyes were almost popping out of her head. Though she rarely lost her composure, this was one such case. Her voice was filled with worry. “If you’re lying, I will pierce my spear through your heart.”
“There are better ways to claim my heart,” he responded calmly, drawing an eye roll from Nauja. “But, I’m not lying. That is why there is a D-Grade cultivator scanning everyone here. All seventy-three galaxies of the System are in all-out war, with various major factions clashing against each other. It’s not just the bases of the Church—many factions allied to them have been discovered and forced into hiding. The Hand is executing a massive purge, with wanted lists containing tens of thousands of powerful individuals. It’s a huuuge mess,” he finished, leaning back and spreading his arms wide.
Min Ling had paled. “What about the Far Isles? Have you heard about them?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell. If it’s in another galaxy, I wouldn’t know—we’ve been in a grand total of two and a half.”
“We must hurry,” she said, standing up. “My people are in danger. I have to get to them.”
“Don’t panic,” Jack said calmly. “It’s been a year already—a few minutes now will make no difference. It’s better to gather all the information we can first.”
Min Ling was, in the end, a genius of frightening caliber. Even facing the possible extermination of her people, she forcefully calmed herself down. Jack turned to Salin. His face was also serious. “You mentioned seventy-three galaxies,” he said. “Does that include our Milky Way?”
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“Unfortunately. Your old friend, Artus Emberheart, is in charge of the Purging there—and the Exploding Sun was the first faction to be impacted. I hear that a B-Grade of the Hand appeared in their faction and slaughtered all their B-Grade powerhouses. The faction dropped a Grade overnight, and they have since disbanded, their members scattered across the galaxy and forced to live as fugitives.”
Jack’s brows fell. The Exploding Sun… His sworn brother and former master, Shol, was there. So was another of his former masters, Huali. He’d once spent a few months at the Exploding Sun, received their grace on multiple occasions, and enjoyed their resources. He owed them.
Artus Emberheart… he thought, his gaze darkening. The name brought back memories. Artus had been the Warden of Hell when Jack rampaged through the planet. The hatred between the two of them was irreconcilable. Jack had killed Artus’s son—Rufus Emberheart—back during the Integration Tournament of Earth. During his time on Hell, he had repeatedly ridiculed and humiliated Artus, eventually killing his best disciple before the eyes of the entire galaxy and then leaving unharmed.
Afterwards, Jack found out that Artus had been removed from his position as Warden and exiled from his faction. He never expected to see him return and at an even greater position…but that was how the world turned.
The one enemy I let go returns to haunt me… Will my bad luck ever end? Jack wondered, his expression stormy.
“What about Earth?” he asked. “Artus Emberheart hates me to the bone. If he can get to Earth, I have no doubt he will destroy it.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Salin replied, shrugging helplessly. “But I don’t think he’s found it. The Hand publishes their greatest military achievements to boost morale, and Earth is quite the beacon of hope for the Milky Way.”
Jack nodded with relief. Thanks to the Church, Earth had been moved outside System space but still inside the Milky Way galaxy. That was a large area. Finding it in such a short timeframe was nearly impossible no matter how many resources Artus Emberheart commanded.
But Jack still worried, because the conquered Cathedral contained a teleporter which connected directly to Earth. Thankfully, it seemed that teleporter had been destroyed in the battle—or somehow rendered unusable.
It could also be destroyed from the Earth side, but nobody would do it because they had no way of knowing about the fall of the Cathedral. Jack and Brock were the only ones with a reason to visit Earth—for all intents and purposes, it was completely cut off from the rest of the universe.
“We must return,” he decided.
“That was our idea,” Nauja agreed. “But entering the Milky Way is even more difficult than leaving it. It is not fully Integrated, after all. Until it develops its first A-Grade, all teleportations to and from the galaxy are strictly monitored so as to let it develop naturally.”
“Forget about the monitoring. I’ll handle it. Do you know any teleporters connected to the Milky Way?”
“There is one—the B-Grade faction controlling this place holds such a teleporter, but it’s smack dab in their headquarters. If you’re thinking of infiltrating, forget it—they will have swarms of D-Grades protecting that place, along with many C-Grade Protectors. If we try to forcefully activate the teleporter, even B-Grade Elders might appear, and then we won’t even have time to cry.”
Jack and Brock exchanged a calculating glance. “How strong is that faction, exactly?” he asked.
“They’re a peak B-Grade influence. Their strongest individuals are at the peak B-Grade, and their Elders are all at the B-Grade. However, most of them have joined the war—only the early B-Grade Elders have remained to hold the fort.”
“You seem to know a lot about them.”
“We also wanted to return so we researched them. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do. We can’t infiltrate a place guarded by B-Grades. Even with the three of you, it remains impossible.”
Jack grinned. “Have you forgotten who I am?”
“...Jack?”
“Exactly. But also, the Jack far stronger than his level would indicate. Leave the B-Grades to us—if you can activate the teleporter, we’re out of here.”
Intergalactic teleporters weren’t simple to use. Due to the distance, all sorts of tuning was needed.
“Activate the teleporter?” Salin exclaimed. “The large ones are complex! I can say please, but I don’t know if it will work.”
“I can,” Nauja cut in. “I met a magic formation expert on Dulupedam. He taught me some tricks—as long as the teleporter doesn’t have security measures against ill use, I can activate it just fine.”
“Perfect. Then we’re good to go.”
“But…”
“Are you concerned about our strength?” Jack asked, giving her a confident grin. “Don’t worry. We can handle a B-Grade or two.”
“I won’t be joining you,” Min Ling said. “My faction is at the Far Side galaxy. I must get there as soon as possible.”
“Can you do it?” Jack asked.
“It will be much easier than your side. My galaxy is fully Integrated. Even in wartime, I should make it without a problem.”
“Okay. I believe in you.”
“And so do I. Jack…” Her eyes softened for a moment. “Don’t die.”
He laughed. “I wasn’t planning to! Now that I’m back and stronger than ever, I would like to see just who can stop me!”
“Many people. Don’t get arrogant.”
He smiled softly. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for worrying.”
“Mm.” She nodded. “You too, Brock. Promise me you’ll be careful—and don’t let your brother do anything too stupid.”
“Don’t worry,” Brock replied, thumping his chest. “Nothing too stupid for big bro.”
“...Yeah. I don’t know what I expected.” She turned her gaze towards Gan Salin and Nauja. “Can I at least count on you two to keep them from doing anything crazy?”
Salin gave her the widest grin his face could accommodate. “Girl, you have no idea who you’re talking to.”
***
Their goodbye was short and sweet. After spending years together in a cave, the three of them had developed a deep friendship. But duty called. Min Ling hugged everyone and bade them goodbye, leaving behind enough disguise pills and other supplies to last—she was filthy rich, apparently.
She then departed in her own starship, crossing space to disappear between the stars. Jack watched her go for a moment. Then, turning around, he summoned his starship—the bromobile. Seeing it, Salin and Nauja were filled with memories. Its dark hull and glass walls were nostalgic.
“All aboard,” Jack declared. “This ship is going to the Milky Way!”
