Xuanbing Galaxy.
Inside Alastor's interstellar battleship.
With only his head remaining, Salong's crimson Electronic Eye blinked as he said, "Anubi is dead."
"What? Anubi is dead? That can't be right. Anubi may not be Gaia's match, but there's no way Gaia could have killed him!"
Alastor said uncertainly.
Anubi might not have been very powerful among the Cosmic Star Gods, but he was certainly no one Gaia could kill with ease.
"His Interstellar Energy dissipated."
Salong explained what had happened to Anubi, the Evil Moon Warrior. "Have Carlos seize the Star of the Galaxy as soon as possible. I need a great deal of energy to revive."
"Yes, Lord Salong."
Alastor didn't refuse Salong's order and immediately agreed.
"By the way, keep a close eye on what happened to Anubi. If there's a chance, have Carlos kill Gaia and the others." Remembering Anubi's situation, Salong gave the reminder gravely.
He didn't know who had killed Anubi, but this matter had to be taken seriously.
What if they weren't taking it seriously, only for the enemy to gather more Cosmic Star Gods and kill his subordinates one by one?
"Yes, Lord Salong. I'll personally see to it."
Alastor replied.
"Mm. Understood."
"Reporting, Lord Alastor. We've finished collecting the Xuanbing you requested."
Just then,
a Machine Soldier approached and respectfully reported to Alastor.
"Got it. You may leave."
Alastor waved the Machine Soldier away. After it left, he looked at Great Void Star God Saloon, who was encased in Xuanbing, with only his head exposed. "Lord Salong, what is this Great Void Xuanbing for?"
He truly couldn't understand why Lord Salong had ordered them to collect these useless chunks of ice.
"Take a piece of Great Void Xuanbing and put it inside a Machine Soldier's energy source."
Salong didn't explain what the Great Void Xuanbing could do. Instead, he was going to let Alastor witness its power for himself.
Soon,
Alastor had someone bring him some Great Void Xuanbing and several soldiers.
Following Salong's instructions, they placed the Great Void Xuanbing inside one of the Machine Soldiers' energy sources.
The results were astonishing.
"Lord Salong, this..."
Alastor stared in disbelief at the Machine Soldier, whose Combat Power had suddenly tripled.
Every Machine Soldier had the same Combat Power.
Yet after that small piece of Xuanbing was put inside one, the result was a world of difference.
"Hahahahaha! That's the effect of the Great Void Xuanbing."
Seeing Alastor's shock, Salong burst into laughter, his voice brimming with delight. "The Xuanbing was affected by the force released when the Star of the Galaxy shattered. That caused the power of the Star of the Galaxy to be stored inside the Great Void Xuanbing. And it was that power that saved my life."
"So that's how it is."
Hearing Lord Salong's explanation, Alastor's crimson Electronic Eye blinked rapidly. The Star of the Galaxy truly contained immense power. He said solemnly, "Rest assured, Lord Salong. I'll make sure to get the Star of the Galaxy and help you recover as soon as possible."
"Hahahaha! Good, good, good! Alastor, you truly are my most loyal warrior. All right, go and equip these Machine Soldiers with Great Void Xuanbing. It won't be long before the universe trembles beneath our feet."
Hearing Alastor's words, Salong laughed heartily.
Alastor truly was his most loyal warrior.
Salong liked him a lot.
"Yes, Lord Salong. I'll have every Machine Soldier equipped with Great Void Xuanbing right away."
Alastor was utterly devoted to Salong and never went against his orders.
"Go!"
Beyond Mercury.
The Spiritus streaked upward like a flash of light, pierced the clouds, and headed toward Venus at faster-than-light speed.
Not long after the Spiritus departed,
space rippled.
A battleship, larger and more imposing than the Spiritus, slowly emerged from the folds of space.
"Lord Carlos, we can't get in touch with Anubi."
Scorpion Warrior Seymour stood before Evil Star God Carlos and reported respectfully.
"Keep trying. Send Hidden Wolf after that departing battleship."
Evil Star God Carlos's cold, brooding voice rang through the ship.
He sat on his icy throne, his crimson Electronic Eye blinking incessantly.
They couldn't reach Anubi?
Then they would keep trying.
"Yes, Lord Carlos."
Seymour obeyed Carlos without question, just as Alastor obeyed Salong.
Seymour continued trying to contact Anubi.
He also sent a Hidden Wolf to follow the departing ship, as Carlos had ordered.
Just then,
Scorpion Warrior Seymour, who had left and returned, appeared before Evil Star God Carlos again.
"What is it? Didn't I tell you to keep trying to reach Anubi?"
Evil Star God Carlos looked at him in confusion.
Could it be...
Had he already gotten through to Anubi?
"Lord Carlos, we received a message from the Hidden Wolf that accompanied Anubi. Before it died, it sent back encrypted intelligence. It had a plan with Anubi: Anubi would draw Gaia away while Hidden Wolf went to seize the Star of the Galaxy. But Anubi never sent word afterward. Instead, Mercury God Tethys agreed to leave with Gaia and the others.
"Tethys attacked Hidden Wolf, and later Gaia killed it."
Scorpion Warrior Seymour relayed the encrypted message from the Hidden Wolf that had accompanied Anubi, then watched Carlos tentatively.
"Mercury God Tethys? Interesting. I didn't expect the one on Mercury to be him."
Evil Star God Carlos tapped the armrest with his fingers, his crimson Electronic Eye blinking as he pondered.
"Send the Crab Squad to the last place Anubi contacted us. Search the area thoroughly. I want to see him alive or find his body."
In the end, Evil Star God Carlos made his decision.
They would find Anubi first.
If he was dead, then they needed to find his body.
He was curious, too. If Anubi had died, how had he been killed?
"Lord Carlos, what about Gaia and the others? If they find another Cosmic Star God, we won't stand a chance against them."
Scorpion Warrior Seymour said anxiously.
After all,
the Justice Star God was quite powerful.
Even though their Interstellar Energy was far weaker than before, they were still Cosmic Star Gods. Ordinary Machine Soldiers couldn't compare to them.
"How many Machine Soldiers do we have left?"
Evil Star God Carlos asked Scorpion Warrior Seymour, uncertainly.
"Lord Carlos, we have two squads of Machine Soldiers left, about 320 in all. Do we need support from Taixu Star?"
Scorpion Warrior Seymour looked at Carlos uncertainly and asked tentatively.
"Three hundred?"
Hearing this, Carlos tapped the armrest and fell silent, lost in thought.
He was cunning and devious, but he also cared a great deal about his pride.
Hadn't he refused to ask Taixu Star for help even when he failed in the original story?
That showed just how proud and stubborn Evil Star God Carlos was.
"Report! Lord Alastor has sent word. Lord Salong has been found. He ordered Lord Carlos to obtain the Star of the Galaxy as soon as possible and present it to Lord Salong. If Lord Carlos can't complete the mission, Lord Alastor will send Black Star God into action."
Just then, a Machine Soldier came over and stopped before Evil Star God Carlos and Scorpion Warrior Seymour to deliver the report.
"What? Lord Salong has been found?"
Hearing the Machine Soldier's report, Evil Star God Carlos's crimson Electronic Eye blinked rapidly. He sprang up from his throne and stared at the Machine Soldier, overcome with excitement. "When did this news come?"
At last, they had found Lord Salong.
After 14 billion years, they had finally found their leader.
"Lord Carlos, the message came three hours ago. We were traveling through a wormhole at the time, so we couldn't receive Lord Alastor's transmission."
The Machine Soldier relayed the situation to Evil Star God Carlos in full.
"Good, good, good! We've finally found Lord Salong. We're no longer rootless wanderers." Evil Star God Carlos was practically bursting with excitement. Then he sat back on his throne and said, "Seymour."
"Yes, Lord Carlos!"
At Carlos's call, Scorpion Warrior Seymour answered immediately and waited for his orders.
"Contact Black Star God on Taixu Star now. Have him send ten squads of Machine Soldiers as reinforcements. This time, we'll wipe out Gaia and the others completely."
Evil Star God Carlos said excitedly, "The Star of the Galaxy will be my gift to Lord Salong."
At that moment,
Evil Star God Carlos no longer cared about saving face.
Getting the Star of the Galaxy and presenting it to Lord Salong was what mattered most.
"Yes, Lord Carlos. But what about Anubi?"
Scorpion Warrior Seymour had no objections. Thinking of Anubi, he asked tentatively.
"Didn't I already say? I want to see him alive or find his body."
Evil Star God Carlos turned and glanced at his loyal warrior in displeasure. "Anubi is one of my subordinates. He may be useless, but he was the one who discovered that the Star of the Galaxy had reappeared in the universe. Now that he's missing, we naturally have to look for him. Besides, Hidden Wolf is following Gaia. If it finds out where they're headed, it'll send word immediately."
"Yes, Lord Carlos."
Hearing Carlos's words, Scorpion Warrior Seymour felt moved.
A superior who still thought of his subordinates at such a critical moment was worth following.
"Mm. Go take care of it."
Evil Star God Carlos nodded in satisfaction. He had gotten what he wanted.
This would win over his men and make them even more devoted to serving him.
"You, go back and send a message to Demon Star God. Tell him I'll get the Star of the Galaxy as soon as possible and present it to Lord Salong."