Chapter 2371

2371 - The Sparrows

In the residential district of Planet Uraginus—

*Bam* A young man pushed one of the doors open forcefully, stepping inside, and immediately shouted at the top of his voice, "Did I miss anything?!"

The young man had entered an extremely spacious home—clearly not the house of the poor, but also not an excessively grand mansion, just a warm place large enough to accommodate a big family.

And indeed, directly in front of him, there were about forty people in various attires—Shadow Swords, Imperial Guards, administrators, and even researchers and instructors!

But they weren't gathered around a war table planning something; rather, they were gathered around a couch watching a live broadcast.

Some were sitting on the floor, some standing behind the couch, and some perched on its edge... all of them clustered around one person.

"Harry, come, come—you've missed a lot!" The person sitting in the center, Peon, waved at the newcomer, then gestured for him to sit in an empty spot on the floor.

"They've breached the Last Quarter, and the fighting has intensified due to the thickening of defenses. I think that within a week at most, Lord Hedrick will be able to destroy all the defenses and secure that final planetary ring before he attacks the Seed." One of the young men wearing Shadow Swords attire spoke with furrowed brows.

"You're right, but that's because Lord Hedrick doesn't have much support—otherwise, it would have ended much faster."

"...?" One of the girls dressed in Imperial Guard trainee attire looked annoyed. "Behind him are 10 rapid-entry vehicles carrying about 4,000 Guards, roughly 20 shadow phantom vehicles, and dozens of Royal Soul Masters, Nexus States, and World Calamities—what more could he need?"

"Lady Renara has the support of about 200 Note fleet ships!" another girl replied. "I think she'll reach the heart of the Galaxy in 4 or 5 days at most."

"...Well, you're right, but Lord Hedrick won't fall behind Lady Renara—take my word for it."

"The fact that Lord Hedrick has kept pace with Lady Renara so far reflects his military expertise and mastery of his new power. If their personal strength were truly equal, Lord Hedrick would still be in the middle ring."

"What do you think, Father—will they arrive at the same time, or will Lady Renara get there first?"

"....."

Silence fell over the place for a moment, and the stillness made the children who hadn't joined the conversation turn their gaze toward the center—their father, their grandfather, or even their great-grandfather, Peon.

Peon indeed seemed worried about something, slightly tense. "This doesn't look good..."

"What's the matter?" Rufina, the eldest daughter, continued massaging her father's shoulders as she stood behind him, asking with concern.

"...Renara, the Emperor Killer—I could barely get her out of my office when she was just a slightly stronger Nexus State." Peon began rubbing his chin, "How am I supposed to deal with her now that she's become this powerful?"

"Barely get her out of your office?"

At that moment, a voice came from inside the house, and a woman poked her head out of the kitchen. She had a gentle oval face and soft golden hair.

"You were receiving that fluffy-tailed girl in your office and she refused to leave?!"

"They were business meetings! Business!!" Peon jumped up and pointed toward the scene playing out before them, "Do you really think I stand a chance with that?"

At that moment, Renara was bombarding an entire fleet with her nine tails, launching projectiles of ice, flame, and disintegration like heavy artillery. She never missed her target, and not a single vessel escaped her shots.

"Are you saying she's better than me?!" The woman vanished for a moment, then returned with a frying pan and shouted, "I can aim too!" and hurled it at him.

*Bang* The frying pan landed on Peon's head as if it had a magnet on it.

"Ah...haha..." Peon forced a laugh and pointed at her with his index finger, "Nice aim, sweetheart."

"Hmph!" Only then did his wife return to what she was doing.

"Even a Supreme General who uses the Law of Corrosion Winds can't escape a frying pan, huh?" One of Peon's elder grandsons furrowed his brows in puzzlement.

"That Supreme General on the screen never learned in military academies how to please women." Peon pointed toward the screen, "Let's keep watching—the big brother will sound the war horn at any moment now. Enjoy these last moments of peace."

"Yes, sir."

Mid Sector 101 - Bright Galaxy

"..."

Kaylis never knew her eyes could open that wide.

Had it been any ordinary person, they would have looked strange, even terrifying, but Kaylis's striking beauty made her reaction like a painting one couldn't look away from... a reaction that lasted for days.

"...This is just..." Not far from the Throne, Serine opened her small mouth, "I've always heard that Lord Hedrick is powerful, but this..."

"He was never this strong!" Kaylis raised her voice quickly, seemingly out of nowhere, as if she were shouting at herself, "Even if he broke through to become an advanced Monarch and possessed a Galaxy Seed, he shouldn't be this powerful!"

“…” Serine fell silent at her mother’s shout, then turned quietly to the white-haired young man standing beside her, “Do you have any idea what’s going on, Richard?”

“Roughly.” Richard continued watching the broadcast with shifting emotions, but a faint, proud smile lingered on his face, “I’ve never met Hedrick, but I was present for what happened with Renara, and from what I saw, Hedrick received the same treatment.”

“What did you see?!” Kaylis asked quickly, gripping the arms of her throne with both hands.

“I saw him do something that made Renara that strong, then I saw him give her orders to prepare for battle after a month… that was a month ago.” Richard chuckled softly.

“More details, please!” Kaylis stood up quickly, “What did you see? What was said in that meeting?”

“You’ll have to ask Father himself for more details.” Richard shook his head, “I don’t know what I should and shouldn’t say.”

“…” Kaylis fell silent and leaned back against her throne, then returned to smiling with a strange calm toward Richard and Serine, “Alright, alright, what are you two doing here?”

“You’re the one who summoned us?” Serine was puzzled.

“I just wanted to see my little lovebirds, haha.” Kaylis gestured gently toward the door, “Go on, go think about wedding details and admire the roses—there are only 95 years left!”

“…?”