[Battle Against Anubi]

Mercury, surface.

"Huh, instant noodles? How are there instant noodles here?"

Inside the Lingdong.

Xiao An stared at the instant noodles on the table in surprise, hurried over, picked them up, and examined them closely.

"They really are instant noodles!"

Yaoyao saw the noodles, and delight appeared on her delicate little face.

Instant noodles were very rare these days.

Even when they did show up, they were extremely expensive—not something they could afford.

People without money could only eat synthetic food, which was very cheap.

Middle-class families could afford instant noodles, but parents still wouldn't let their children eat them.

They weren't nutritious, and they were pretty expensive, too.

"Old Altar Pickled Cabbage and Beef Noodles? How come I've never heard of this flavor?"

Xiao An picked up the noodles and stared at the writing on the packaging, frowning in confusion.

There were no Old Altar Pickled Cabbage and Beef Noodles on the market.

The pickled cabbage alone would stump most people, you know?

This was Earth in the interstellar age. Who had time to grow vegetables, pickle them, and then turn them into instant noodles?

"Old Altar Pickled Cabbage and Beef Noodles!"

Ye Yun yawned and said, "You know how to prepare instant noodles, right?"

"I do, I do! You put them in hot water to cook, then add the seasoning to this cup."

Yaoyao excitedly hugged the pickled cabbage and beef noodles in her hands and raised her hand proudly.

"Please. You just mean you've eaten cup noodles before, don't you?" Xiao An pursed her lips, though she couldn't hide her excitement.

"If you eat them like that, they lose their soul."

Ye Yun shook his head, amused.

The way they were eating Old Altar Pickled Cabbage and Beef Noodles, they were losing their soul.

Besides, noodles cooked in a pot weren't as tasty as instant noodles steeped in a cup.

Cooking them in a pot only made the noodles too soft. They never tasted quite right.

"Then tell us, how do you make them taste good?"

Yaoyao pouted.

Ye Yun spread his hands and began teaching the two children how to prepare instant noodles.

Outside.

Anubi saw the people inside the ship. His crimson Electronic Eye blinked as he spoke into his communicator. "Hidden Wolf, I have a plan. I'll draw Gaia away, and you go take the Star of the Galaxy."

When he saw Hidden Wolf's transmission, he saw that Mercury God Tethys had refused to help Gaia guard the Star of the Galaxy. Then, seeing the three humans left aboard the ship, Anubi came up with this plan.

After coordinating with Hidden Wolf, Anubi charged forward with the Evil Light Ball in hand.

The Evil Light Ball fired a purple beam of evil light, striking the Lingdong's space window.

He hadn't deliberately missed. Otherwise, it would have looked suspicious.

"Woo-woo-woo!"

A moment later.

Zhuoya detected that the Lingdong was under attack and sounded the alarm.

At once.

Ye Yun, Yaoyao, and Xiao An, who were eating, were startled.

"Zhuoya, what's going on?"

Ye Yun didn't need to guess. Anubi had shown up, just as he had in the story, planning to lure Gaia away so that Hidden Wolf could seize the Star of the Galaxy.

But he couldn't say that outright. He could only ask Zhuoya what had happened.

"A robot has been detected attacking the Lingdong."

Zhuoya appeared in the dining room. "Should I activate battle mode?"

"What? Is Anubi here?"

At that, anxiety and unease appeared on the still-childlike faces of Xiao An and Yaoyao as they cautiously looked at Ye Yun.

"Relax. Let's keep eating!"

Ye Yun waved a hand and said to Zhuoya, "Activate the weapons system and fire at the target automatically. Let us finish our meal first!"

"Understood, Mr. Ye Yun!"

Zhuoya, the Intelligent Assistant, flickered and disappeared from the dining room.

"Big Brother Ye, s-should we call Gaia back to save us?"

Yaoyao was still uneasy. Her gaze darted around, and the fork in her hand nearly slipped to the floor.

Anubi!

Even Gaia had trouble beating an Evil Moon Warrior.

"This is probably the Evil Moon Warrior Anubi's diversion. He wants to attack us and draw Gaia away from Lily and the others, then have someone seize the Star of the Galaxy."

Ye Yun began "using" his brain and "guessing." "So we can't panic. The Evil Moon Warrior Anubi wouldn't dare really hurt us. At most, he'll attack the ship from outside to scare us into contacting Gaia. Then his plan will succeed."

"Is, is that really it?"

Xiao An wasn't sure she believed him.

"If you're scared, go ahead and call him. But if the Star of the Galaxy falls into the hands of the Evil Star Gods, the universe will be plunged into disaster."

Ye Yun shrugged, lowered his head, and continued eating his noodles without a care.

He finished the noodles in a few mouthfuls, stood up, and looked at the two uneasy children. "You two keep eating. I'm going to the restroom."

"O-okay!"

Anxiety appeared on Yaoyao and Xiao An's faces, but they didn't contact Gaia.

If they called Gaia and Ye Yun's prediction came true, they might cause a disaster across the universe. They'd be to blame.

Ye Yun didn't go to the restroom. Instead, he headed for the cockpit.

A small, unadorned bronze tower, no bigger than his palm, appeared in his hand. He took a computer out of it and plugged it into the data port in the cockpit. "Xiao Yun, take control of this flagship. Temporarily shut down the Intelligent Assistant Zhuoya, delete her data from the past ten seconds and the upcoming period, and edit a record of the battle for her to fill in later."

"The Lingdong's Intelligent Assistant Zhuoya has been shut down. Data from the past ten seconds has been deleted. Editing the upcoming records now."

The voice of the top-tier Artificial Intelligence Xiao Yun rang out.

Soon, a virtual three-dimensional holographic projection appeared on the platform in front of Ye Yun. It was a miniature version of Ye Yun.

"Nicely done."

At that, the corner of Ye Yun's mouth lifted in a faint smile.

Black, gleaming armor gradually appeared on his body, covering him from head to toe. Like Iron Man, he spoke from within the armor. "Knock out the two children in the dining room."

"Understood."

The top-tier Artificial Intelligence Xiao Yun agreed.

The next moment.

Ye Yun vanished from the cockpit. When he appeared again, he was holding a Black Longsword and standing before the Evil Moon Warrior Anubi.

He'd told Zhuoya to enable automatic attacks to fool the two children.

"What the hell are you?"

Anubi stared in surprise at the iron man who had suddenly appeared in front of him, his body covered in armor, his build like a human's, and a Black Longsword in hand.

"Evil Moon Warrior Anubi, member of Evil Star God Carlos's Assassination Squad!"

Ye Yun had deliberately altered his voice. It sounded hoarse.

"Who are you, exactly?"

The Evil Moon Warrior Anubi aimed the Ultimate Weapon, the Evil Light Ball, at this "tin man" and spoke gravely.

"Forget who I am. Today, let me see just how powerful a Cosmic Star God, born fourteen billion years ago, really is!"

Ye Yun slowly pointed his sword at the Evil Moon Warrior, then flashed forward, leaving a trail of afterimages.

"You're asking for it!"

The Evil Moon Warrior saw the "tin man" charging at him without any thrusters, yet hovering in the sky and moving at tremendous speed. And the contempt in the other man's voice infuriated him. His cold, furious voice rang out.

The Evil Light Ball in his hand fired a beam of evil light, and he dove forward.

Ye Yun turned slightly aside. The approaching beam of laser light skimmed past his body.

The Evil Moon Warrior Anubi swung the Ultimate Weapon in his hand at the reckless "tin man."

"Boom."

The Ultimate Weapon collided with the weapon that seemed to be God-Slaying Grade. In an instant, Anubi was sent flying by Ye Yun's terrifying physical strength.

The Ultimate Weapon flew out of his hand.

"What?"

Anubi hit the ground, then scrambled to his feet. He stared at his hands in disbelief. Had he really lost to this human in iron armor in a contest of strength?

Impossible.

The next moment.

Anubi transformed into a golden crescent moon. Powerful, evil energy surged in from all around and poured into his body.

"Evil Moon Shadow!"

His voice rang out like a thunderclap. Anubi quickly returned to his humanoid form, and the distant Evil Light Ball somehow returned to his hand.

A purple beam of evil light, long as a dragon and piercing through the void, tore through space and struck at Ye Yun.

Ye Yun didn't dodge or retreat. He charged straight at the attack.

Today, he was going to be stubborn and test just how powerful a Cosmic Star God's Ultimate Skill was.

"Boom."

The Evil Moon Shadow concentrated all of Anubi's strength into one strike. It slammed into Ye Yun's armor but failed to leave a single mark. Even so, the powerful impact sent Ye Yun crashing out of the sky and smashing into a rock in the distance.

"What? Impossible!"

Amid the swirling dust and smoke, Ye Yun slowly emerged and brushed the dust off himself. His chest felt a little tight, but otherwise he was fine. Dark Energy filled his body. Seeing the human in the iron armor standing there unharmed, Anubi cried out in shock and fury.

How could this be?

Even Gaia would have been badly injured if hit by his Evil Moon Shadow, yet this man was completely unscathed.

And he could still get back up?

Was this really a weak human?

That single Ultimate Skill would have been enough to kill more than a dozen humans.

Ye Yun swung his Black Longsword. Dark Energy gathered around it as he slowly rose into the air. "Now, is it my turn?"

In an instant.

He vanished from the Evil Moon Warrior Anubi's sight.

"Where did he go?"

The Evil Moon Warrior Anubi was terrified by what he saw.

A human could vanish into thin air?

Even Lord Salong couldn't do that. How had he managed it?

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly.

The Evil Moon Warrior Anubi sensed a sharp rush of air behind him. He spun around and raised the Evil Light Ball to block.

"Clang!"

The Black Longsword struck the Evil Light Ball, unleashing a wave of force that swept through the surrounding area.

This time, the Evil Moon Warrior Anubi wasn't knocked flying again.

He'd already learned his lesson. He couldn't afford to underestimate this human again.

Ye Yun gave a cold laugh and increased the force behind his blow.

At once.

Anubi felt a surge of even greater force. It pressed his arm down as it bent, and the sword slowly lowered toward him. Its sharp edge was about to reach his shoulder.