Arlan Bowed Again and Again-This Was a True God!
The heavy wooden door of the VIP Lounge let out an agonized groan.
Two metal screws flew from its hinges and struck the velvet carpet.
Arlan, head of the Security Department, tumbled into the room.
His uniform was torn in four or five places, the edges of the fabric charred black.
A bloody gash split his forehead.
Crimson blood ran down his brow and completely covered his left eye.
The thick smell of blood and the acrid stink of burnt rubber instantly overwhelmed the coffee's aroma.
The Copper Kettle lurched in Himeko's hand.
Two drops of boiling water splashed onto the solid-wood coffee table, leaving conspicuous white marks.
Su Chen was holding that cup of purplish-black coffee.
Its sharp, bitter tang still lingered on his tongue, and he had been wondering how to dispose of the poison.
Arlan's entrance was a godsend.
The Female Lord lowered her golden eyes without a flicker of emotion.
Her pale, slender fingers held the handle steady as she set the white porcelain cup back on its tray.
Porcelain tapped glass with a crisp clink.
"Arlan!" Himeko immediately set down the kettle and hurried over in her heels.
She bent to help the young man on the floor.
"Has the outer defense line collapsed? The Astral Express Crew will go reinforce it right now."
Arlan gasped for air.
His lungs wheezed like a leaky bellows.
He shoved away Himeko's outstretched hand.
Bracing both hands against the carpet, he forced himself upright despite the torn flesh on his right leg.
He did not look at Himeko.
His right eye, the one not covered in blood, stayed fixed on the Female Lord seated on the black leather sofa.
Thud.
His knees struck the hard edge of the floor with a heavy crash, his kneecaps grinding against it.
He had not merely knelt.
He pitched forward, planted both hands on the floor, and slammed his head down.
Bang.
His forehead hit the wooden floor hard enough to make the water glasses on the coffee table jump.
On the sofa, the muscles in the front of Su Chen's thighs tightened at once.
His high-heeled boots pressed into the carpet, his toes curling hard against their soles.
This was a bit much. What ordinary modern shut-in could handle a gesture like that?
But he could not dodge it.
The Female Lord sat perfectly straight, her elaborate black robe spread across the leather sofa.
She looked like an ancient statue enshrined in a temple, watching a mortal worship her with cold eyes.
"Thank you... Thank you, true god, for saving our lives!"
Arlan's voice was terribly hoarse, thick with barely restrained sobs.
He did not raise his head. His forehead remained pressed to the floor.
Himeko stood frozen.
Her hand still hung in midair, unable to move forward or back.
She glanced at the Female Lord on the sofa, then at Arlan on the floor.
"The station manager and every staff member had been forced back to the Master Control Zone."
Arlan swallowed blood-tinged saliva and spoke rapidly.
"There were too many Antibaryon Legion Antibaryons. They tore through the defense line, and every Ion Shield shattered."
His shoulders shook violently. Sweat and blood had soaked the fabric across his back.
"The monsters reached the crowd. They already had their light blades raised."
"No one could even send a last message. The Legion had blocked all communications."
Arlan jerked his head up. Tears and snot streaked his face, mixing with the blood.
But his one visible eye burned with the feverish intensity of a man who had survived certain death.
"Just as the defense line was about to be slaughtered, that pillar in the middle of the hall... lit up."
Su Chen paused.
Pillar?
He thought back to when he had first arrived and fought the Doomsday Beast.
The Star-Piercing Spear he had casually formed from Geo had later turned into a rough stone pillar, left standing amid the ruins.
"Ring after ring of ripples burst from that golden stone pillar."
Arlan waved his hands wildly, trying to describe something he could not comprehend.
"It was pure gravity, and a pressure that... made people drop to their knees."
"The quantum light blade in the lead Antibaryon Reaver's hand shattered on the spot."
"The monsters acted as if they'd seen a ghost."
"Those lunatics who knew nothing but destruction were trembling. They dropped their weapons and fled into space like mad things."
Arlan sniffed, his voice breaking completely.
"The monsters all retreated."
"Not one of the 342 unarmed staff members in the Master Control Zone died."
With that, Arlan bowed forward again.
Bang.
Another solid crack of his forehead against the floor.
"The pillar you left in the ruins became a talisman protecting the entire space station."
"On behalf of every staff member, I bow in thanks for the true god's arrival."
The young man kept his head against the floor and refused to lift it.
The room fell deathly silent.
Himeko gripped the fabric at the side of her skirt and drew a sharp breath.
It had been only a stone pillar left behind on a whim.
Could its lingering aura alone frighten off the Antimatter Legion, which did not even understand fear?
What kind of power was that?
Himeko felt her entire understanding of the world being forcibly remade.
Su Chen's thoughts were in turmoil.
Geo constructs did resonate, but he had never imagined one could act as an area-wide aura of terror.
On the system panel, Shock Points from Arlan and the station staff were pouring in at hundreds per second.
Even he got goose bumps from how impressive he looked.
The Female Lord still said nothing.
She simply sat there in silence.
As though saving hundreds of lives and driving off the Legion were trivial to her.
No more significant than brushing a speck of dust from her robe.
Then hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor.
High heels clattered across the metal grating in a frantic, uneven rhythm.
A pale hand grabbed the damaged wooden doorframe.
Asta, the space station's manager, appeared in the doorway, breathless.
The wealthy young heiress had lost every trace of composure.
Her signature short pink hair was a mess, several strands plastered to her smooth forehead with sweat.
Gray dust coated her expensive tailored jacket, and a large tear ran through its hem.
She did not even look at Himeko when she entered.
Her gaze passed over the kneeling Arlan and locked instantly onto the golden figure on the sofa.
Asta stopped breathing for half a second.
Her chest rose and fell sharply.
A fire burned in her eyes, a fervor ten times brighter than Arlan's.
As the daughter of a powerful Interastral Peace Corporation family, Asta had witnessed sights ordinary people could scarcely imagine.
She had seen planet-destroying warships, tycoons with wealth to rival nations, and the oddballs of the Genius Society.
But she had never seen a god.
Even Lady Herta was only an eccentric genius, with nothing divine about her.
Now Asta had seen one.
It was an absolute majesty beyond money, technology, and worldly power.
A single glance made a person willing to surrender everything.
Asta swallowed against her dry throat.
She walked stiffly into the VIP Lounge.
With every step, her hands gripped the corners of her jacket more tightly.
She went straight to Arlan's side.
She did not help her blood-covered subordinate off the floor.
Instead, she followed his example and dropped heavily to both knees on the carpet.
Su Chen clenched his teeth, tasting a hint of blood.
He fought down the reflex to stand.
The Female Lord did not so much as flutter an eyelash. Her golden eyes looked coldly down at the two mortals kneeling before her.
Asta looked up, her cheeks flushed with feverish excitement.
Her mind was blank.
Noble etiquette and business negotiation tactics had all vanished into a black hole.
Only one thought remained.
Get on her good side.
Whatever it costs—even if I lose my entire fortune—I have to forge a connection with the Imaginary Divine Court.
Asta's fingers trembled violently as she reached into a hidden pocket inside her jacket.
She fumbled for a moment, then pulled something out.
It was a card.
It bore no ornate patterns, only a deep, dark-gold finish.
An unusual metallic sheen played across its surface, and tiny Imaginary Energy crystals lined its edges.
At its center was the Interastral Peace Corporation's highest-ranking gear insignia.
Even the dust in the air seemed to stop drifting when the card appeared.
Asta took a deep breath.
She gripped the dark-gold Black Card tightly in both hands.
Then she raised it high above her head and offered it openly to the Female Lord.