n

n

n“Thaddeus Church…” Aaliyah blurted out.

nThaddeus’ head shot up, his eyes locked on her.

n“What do you want?”

n“I want you to come with me!”

n“What?”

nThis confusing woman only continued to confuse him further with every second. What was she even talking about?

nAaliyah gritted her teeth and endured his judgmental gaze. “Come with me! Let’s leave the battlefield! I want to show you around our beautiful Grand Heavens Boundary!”

nThaddeus’ eyes widened. He expected her to say something stupid, but he didn’t expect it to be so utterly incomprehensible.

n“You want me, a Nox, to join you, a Plant Race, to explore the universe that my kind is trying to destroy?”

nHe reiterated it in case she didn’t realize what her words meant, but he was met with disappointment.

n“I know what I said, and I mean it.”

n“You are mentally insane.”

n“Is there another type of insanity?”

n“You’re a truly annoying woman.”

n“Fufu! That just means I’ve defeated you with my charms!”

nThaddeus sighed as he glanced away from Aaliyah’s bubbly person.

n‘What is she doing? Where did this even come from? Is she trying to lure me into a trap? Where is the setup?’

nThaddeus’ thoughts raced. He tried to rationalize Aaliyah’s proposal to no avail whatsoever.

n“Explain in detail. I cannot understand your perverted thought process.”

n“I’m not a pervert!”

n“Only a masochist would think to invite the enemy into their homebase for tourism.”

n“I’m not a masochist either!”

nAaliyah’s face turned red in embarrassment. She was barely able to understand her own thoughts, and now she was being told to voice them?

n‘Calm down and concentrate.’ She told herself.

nIt took almost an entire minute for Aaliyah to calm down and organize her thoughts. The entire time, Thaddeus quietly waited without moving a single step.

n“You look lonely.”

nThey were the first words out of Aaliyah’s mouth.

nThaddeus glared at her fiercely, and while she did jump, she refused to back down.

n“I watched you from when you first entered the control room until now, and I can’t help but think you’re different from the rest of your kind. You have emotions they don’t possess, and rationality that goes against their belligerence. Also, I can see it, you know? You’re trying so hard, but your curiosity is written all over your face.”

n“If you want to say yes, then just say yes! There’s no need to be a tsundere.”

n“Tsundere?”

n“Ah, That’s a human thing. Don’t worry about it.”

npαndα`noνɐ1–сoМ

n“That’s probably the right response from you, Mr. Stoic.”

n“Hm?”

n“Nothing! I didn’t say anything.”

n“Tch.”

nThaddeus turned away.

n‘What is this heat in my face.’

nHe was turning red unknowingly, and he didn’t enjoy the feeling at all.

nStill…

n‘Escape…’

nNot just escape from the warzone, but escape from his father, escape from responsibilities, escape from the Nox as a whole…

nIt was too damn appealing.

n‘Grand Heavens Boundary, why are the experts so obsessed with this universe? What importance do World Cores hold? Is the universe truly as beautiful as the rumors? Without all this desolation spread through it, is this place truly a heavenly training land as the people describe it?’

nHis curiosity overflowed with the growth of his interest.

nHe lifted his head to look at the beautiful green-skinned woman holding her hand out to him.

nShe was different from the women he usually saw. Women of the Nox were usually extremely seductive and dominant, but Aaliyah was the complete opposite of that.

nShe was cute, bubbly, and even a little innocent.

nHer entire existence confused Thaddeus, who’d never experienced such a positive personality before.

nHis eyes went to her hand and back to her face.

nHis heart beat violently as if it wanted to burst out of his chest.

nIt was a suffocating feeling.

nBut for some reason, from this single interaction, this strange woman had hooked him.

nHe was curious about her and the world that produced someone like her.

nHe wanted to see it.

nAnd he wanted to escape the suffocating constraints of his identity.

n‘I am trying to find reasons to deny her, but my decision was made long ago, wasn’t it? How troublesome.’

nThaddeus reached out slowly.

nHis hand latched onto the one outstretched to him.

nUnderstanding these strange beings that opposed the Nox was something he’d wanted to do for a very long time.

nHe stood up with Aaliyah’s support.

n“You don’t hate me?”

n“Of course I do. You massacred so many people without reason. Why wouldn’t I hate you?”

n“Then…?”

n“Can I not feel sympathetic for someone I hate?”

n“I really can’t understand you.”

n“As it should be!”

nAaliyah suddenly frowned.

n“But…getting you out of here without being noticed will be hard…”

nThe duo’s attention returned to their overall situation. They’d been so enveloped in each other that they didn’t even realize the sound of explosions growing louder.

n“The charm can’t hold out for much longer.”

nThe shield was already cracking. It wouldn’t be long before they were exposed to the terror of the outside world.

nBut Aaliyah wasn’t worried. Rather, she was excited.

n‘If I can get him out, I’ll be the first person to ever turn a Nox into an ally!’

nThe task ahead fit her far better than a traumatic warzone. She needed peace, especially after all the trauma Thaddeus himself had given her.

nHonestly, she still had the urge to kill him. She still wanted him to suffer as much as possible.

nBut she held it in and let it be suppressed by the other most prominent urge in her body.

nIt was the urge to help.

nIf her outstretching her hand could change the trajectory of someone’s life for the better…

nShe’d do it, regardless of that person’s identity.

nAfter all, wasn’t that just who she was?

nAaliyah smiled to herself,

n‘Sherya is really going to hate me for this one.’

n***

nWhile the starship’s destruction was relatively quick due to Aaliyah’s patience and Sherya’s planning, its aftereffects were huge, both literally and metaphorically.

nIn the literal sense, the explosive cloud created by the destroyed starship didn’t settle down even after many minutes, and the explosion only seemed to get stronger with every passing second. It fed on the complex structures and mana storages of the former star destroyer to become an uncontrollable behemoth.

nBut the metaphorical effects of the starship’s death were even more terrifying than the all-consuming explosion.

nThe star destroyer was the Nox’s only usable Demigod-level force in the universe.

nIt was their greatest advantage, and their greatest siege weapon.

nWith it gone, not only would the current battle for Throh proceed faster as one of its primary objectives was accomplished, the Nox’s future attempts to take over other Sectors would be far more bearable.

nThe Nox invasion had effectively been slowed down considerably.

nWord spread rapidly through various channels, reaching the ears of, the forces keeping Plaguelord in check, the Calypto battlefield, and even those ruling authorities of the universe.

nThe destruction of the star destroyer sent one message blaring across the universe.

nFrom now on…

nIt was time for a counterattack.

n