Kyrie’s magnetic projectile struck the lower part of the fly mothership’s wing with pinpoint accuracy.

Thud!

The timing meshed perfectly with Andromeda’s Lightning Strike (Authority)—it hit the core support structure that had been absorbing the impact of her lightning.

PAJIIIJIIICK!

The lightning imbued into the magnetic projectile spread outward.

Following that current, Andromeda’s lightning drilled even deeper into the fly mothership’s interior.

Rrrrrrrrumble!

“Whoa.”

Frey watched as the fly mothership’s wing and chest section collapsed completely.

BOOM!

A fragment as large as a fortress fell onto the wasteland, casting a shadow and shaking the earth.

["■■■■■■!"]

From the fly mothership’s maw, a violent psychic wave erupted.

It felt closer to a scream than intimidation.

Rrrrrrrrumble!

Once the collapse began, it did not stop easily.

THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!

Kyrie repeatedly launched lightning-imbued projectiles—javelins, daggers, even weapons seized from skeleton soldiers.

Each shot traced a trajectory that precisely targeted a structural weak point, guided by Bio-radar.

["-----!"]

The Fly King unleashed Mental Shockwave, raising black miasma.

TSTSTSTST!

It tried to restore its wings and rebuild its skeleton, but Kyrie’s rate of carving into the fly mothership was even faster.

The fly mothership’s altitude steadily dropped.

That was when Frey spotted a red-stone fortress far in the distance.

The royal family?

This area was royal family territory.

Good.

They had drifted too far from the original operation zone, and Andromeda’s Lightning Strike (Authority) bombardment was starting to slow.

If she misses, it could hit us.

Lightning itself could be sent tens of kilometers, but once it left her field of vision, accuracy dropped sharply.

THUNK!

Kyrie fired his final magnetic projectile.

Rrrrrrrrumble!

A collapse rivaling the first one tore through the structure.

Now the fly mothership had shrunk to only a few dozen meters.

Its altitude wavered precariously around thirty meters.

The skeletal debris trailing from its body no longer resembled a single rope ladder, but rather a tangled net.

We can grab it.

Frey saw soldiers swarming up onto the royal family fortress’s old cannon towers.

“Kyrie!”

“I see it!”

They squeezed out their remaining strength and unleashed Thunderstep in succession.

RUMBLE!

They seized the skeletal debris trailing down toward the ground.

["Fire!"]

Kyrie let out a Lion’s Roar toward the royal family fortress.

["Fire, damn it! Bring it down!"]

“……”

No voice signal or flag signal came back from the fortress.

["It’s a chance to kill it! Fire!"]

At last, the fortress’s old cannons fired.

SCREEEE!

The cannon bolts tore through the air and smashed the skeletal ladder that Kyrie and Frey were clinging to.

“…!?”

Kyrie’s eyes shook violently.

I kicked off from the collapsing skeletal ladder and dropped, executing a landing roll.

“Kh!”

I tumbled several times before regaining my footing.

Thanks to the gauntlet absorbing the impact, the shock was manageable.

“Did those bastards gouge out their eyes too?!”

At first, I thought it was a mistake.

Even if the royal family did not know this was the Fly King, they should have known how dangerous a flying Whitebone entity was.

Maybe they were hallucinating under Mental Shockwave.

SCREEEE!

That hope shattered the moment Bio-radar caught a cannon bolt flying straight toward me.

“Are you insane?!”

I twisted my body with Thunderstep and barely dodged.

“Kyrie!”

Frey pointed ahead.

THUDUDUDU!

A group of mounted troops charged out.

【Electromagnetic Railgun (00 days 24 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds)】

I agonized a thousand times over whether to draw my killing card.

In that brief span, the fly mothership finally succeeded in reassembling its body.

TSTSTSTST!

Though reduced to a fraction of its original size, it regained the full shape of a fly and began to climb again.

“This is the domain of the royal family Stellite, where the Twin Stars of Fate illuminate the road ahead!”

The mounted troops reached us.

“For what reason do you set foot here without permission?!”

The man at the front shouted at the top of his lungs.

He was a burly man with short blond hair and arrogantly glaring icy-blue eyes.

I considered the Electromagnetic Railgun again.

“Fuck! Did you gouge out your eyes like I did? You bastard! Can’t you see that thing?!”

I forced the words out of my hoarse throat.

That was already me choosing restraint.

I had no intention of speaking politely.

Not drawing my sword immediately was the limit of my self-control.

“Why didn’t you fire? You could have killed it!”

“You have no obligation to an answer.”

“Are you joking?!”

“You have no obligation to an answer. This is the main house’s domain, and the duty and right to hunt manbeasts belong to the main house. Withdraw immediately.”

My hand went to the crystal Star-Sword.

“Even a peerless genius pretty boy like me can’t understand that.”

Frey glanced between us, then stepped to my side.

“If those things overflow, all trade routes get cut. Your royal family would suffer the most. Your influence would shrink.”

“As stated, there is no reason to answer.”

The man did not even look at her.

I drew a slow breath, forcing my reason back into place.

I still lacked power like the Patriarch or Andromeda.

If I could fire even two shots of the Electromagnetic Railgun, I would have used one on him and the other to erase the Fly King—but I only had one shot.

If I escalated further and drew an even more dangerous assignment, my survival would truly become uncertain.

“Fine. The duty and right to hunt manbeasts on this land may belong to you.”

My strength lay in reason and logic.

“Then pay the price for driving it here.”

“Will blades suffice?”

The royal family man sneered.

I felt reason evaporate.

“Blades are fine. I will gladly take them.”

I unfolded the Authority favored by the brothers Epicus and Procus.

Oppression.

UUUUNG, UUUUUUNG!

At the infrasonic waves generated by the magnetic field, the royal family horses foamed at the mouth, rearing and thrashing.

“Hiiiiiing!”

“W-what?!”

“Aaagh!”

Even the blond brute was thrown from his horse.

“How dare you!”

A royal family knight beside him drew his sword.

SAAAAAH!

Along the blade, intangible golden radiance surged upward.

The same golden light shimmered faintly around his eyes and body.

“An Oathbearer.”

I frowned.

Oathbearers.

Royal family superhuman nobles who wielded starlight.

“You recognize it. With your paltry mana, do you think your Blue Knights can catch this blade?”

The blond brute brushed dirt from himself and lifted his chin.

“Thanks.”

“What?”

“You drew first.”

I smiled sincerely and activated neural acceleration.

By church law, drawing a sword and initiating an attack were the same.

RUMBLE!

I kicked off the ground and charged.

The royal family knight’s face twisted.

In slowed time, I felt pure mana and lightning flow from my heart, reinforcing my body.

Ordinary elixirs no longer increased my mana meaningfully, but the Elixir of Nebula still worked.

“You are arrogant!”

The knight swung with absolute confidence.

That light truly sharpened the blade and reinforced the body.

Any ordinary weapon would cut like a hot knife through butter.

SAAAAAAH!

I deployed the Cloud-Dragon Form with the crystal Star-Sword.

CLANG-CLANG!

Like a dragon weaving through clouds, the flowing strikes pushed his blade aside.

If you could not block the edge, you simply avoided touching it.

For a Blue Knight with neural acceleration, it was not difficult.

That left my left hand free.

UUUUNG!

I accumulated repulsion to its limit.

I had no daggers left.

That was fine.

There was no rule saying the projectile had to be a dagger.

I stepped in and struck his breastplate with my palm.

Magnetic Railshot.

THUNK!

The knight was launched backward faster than sound.

CRASH-THUD-THUD!

He smashed through comrades and horses, tumbling hundreds of meters before stopping.

“What…?”

The royal family man stared in genuine shock.

The starlight around his sword flared brighter.

“Learn it with your body.”

KRRRUMBLE!

Lightning gathered overhead as I prepared to continue.

At this point, killing them all and firing the Electromagnetic Railgun at the fortress felt justified.

CRACKLE, SNAP!

As lightning flowed into the crystal Star-Sword and the blade glowed translucent—

“Kyrie!”

Andromeda’s voice rang out.

“What is going on here?!”

She arrived, with Vicher and Vichera behind her.

Naturally, they were accompanied by Blue Knights and Red Knights.

“Ghk!”

“Draw blades!”

“O Twin Stars of Fate! Illuminate the path before us!”

Royal family Oathbearers drew their swords, cloaked in starlight.

“O blazing supernova! Let us become beautiful flame!”

The Red Knights of Flammerios shaped fire and breathed flame.

“O dreaming Thunder’s Roar! Grant us a battle worth remembering!”

The Blue Knights of Astreos wrapped their blades in lightning.

“I am Andromeda of Astrion Astreos.”

Mounted, she looked down on them.

“The Sub-patriarch?”

“A spirit-rank Blue Knight!”

The Oathbearers stiffened.

“Put your weapons away. Or I will kill you all. Brother—put yours away too.”

Here, I had to comply.

“You live because of my sister.”

I spat at the man’s feet and sheathed the crystal Star-Sword.

“Explain. Lie, and I will kill you.”

“He trespassed into royal family territory. I merely ordered him to withdraw.”

“He interfered with the Fly King hunt. We boarded it—and then he fired old cannons at me. Even across Rikenta’s border, disaster suppression groups crossed freely!”

“You didn’t kill it?!”

“There are limits to interference!”

Shouts erupted.

“Our land, our decision!”

Andromeda turned to me.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

“Let’s go back.”

Uncharacteristic words.

“Sister!”

She then asked his name.

“Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse of Solaris Stellite.”

Solaris.

A powerful side branch.

“Betelgeuse. Send a letter to the capital.”

“A letter?”

“I’ll be sending one too. Requesting permission for a localized war.”

His face went pale.

“House Magnes will raise troops. The Mounted Patrol will mobilize. I’ll lead the front. I’ll flatten your fortress.”

Andromeda pulled my sleeve.

“I’ll bind your people in pairs and make you choose who lives. Aim cannons at my brother, and that’s the price.”

That day’s subjugation ended there.

The fortress city.

“…Why is mediation impossible?”

Before Bishop Uranus, Vicher and Vichera pressed hard.

“I’m sorry. They won’t listen.”

The bishop bowed repeatedly.

On the way back—

“This is absurd.”

“The Myriad Star Church’s authority should dominate even here.”

I agreed.

“At minimum, we report to the main house.”

I expected disappointment.

Anxiety.

“My lord. A reply has arrived.”

It was not.

Chapter 148

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