Two Disguises, One Stage: Su Chen's Perfect Solo Act

At the end of the corridor, the thick smoke had yet to clear.

A tall figure stood before the damaged metal blast door.

The hem of her dark-gold robe snapped in the cold wind.

Her clear amber-gold eyes cut through the wreckage and fixed on the white-haired little girl.

The Female Lord, who was supposed to be "meditating" in the VIP Lounge, had somehow emerged.

She held the dark-gold Star-Piercing Spear.

Its tip angled toward the floor, a dense glimmer of Geo still clinging to its edge.

Su Chen's head was about to explode.

It felt as though someone were driving a rusty saw blade straight down between his brows.

The system had just flashed a red warning.

[Short-Term Split-Control Mode activated.]

Half his mental energy was keeping up the Female Lord's commanding presence.

The other half had to make little Satoru Gojo as unruly as ever.

His left brain had to stay composed; his right had to go wild.

Two utterly opposite personas were crammed into one soul, tugging at it until his temples throbbed.

A fine sheen of cold sweat formed on the Female Lord's fair forehead.

But the show had begun. He had to see it through.

Su Chen drew a deep breath and made the Female Lord stride forward.

Her high-heeled boots struck the floor strewn with metal fragments.

"Tap. Tap."

Her steps were unhurried, but each one seemed to land squarely on the Astral Express Crew's nerves.

"I wondered who was making such a racket."

The Female Lord's voice was icy, heavy with the absolute authority of someone accustomed to command.

"So it was you, you mad girl."

Meanwhile, Su Chen hurriedly switched his attention to his right brain.

Little Satoru Gojo had been pointing at Xingbao, looking as if she were about to cut open her stomach.

At the sound of that voice, the little girl froze.

She slowly turned around.

Her sunglasses slipped down, revealing her large, pale-blue eyes.

The manic excitement in them vanished at once.

She pursed her lips reluctantly, puffing out her cheeks.

"Tch."

Little Satoru Gojo kicked a piece of debris on the floor.

"What are you doing out here, you old stick-in-the-mud? Weren't you asleep in there?"

The Female Lord stopped five paces from the others.

She brought her spear down hard.

Hummm—

A visible ring of golden ripples spread across the floor.

When the ripples passed over Welt, his legs nearly gave way.

He tightened his grip on his cane without thinking.

"If I hadn't come out, you would have torn Herta Space Station apart."

The Female Lord stared at the little girl, her tone stern.

"The Divine Court's rules forbid us from entangling ourselves in the affairs of insignificant mortals. Behaving like this disgraces the First Seat."

Little Satoru Gojo rolled her eyes.

She pushed her sunglasses back up her nose.

"You're such a nag! I just cleared out the trash outside. What's wrong with having a little fun?"

She pointed at Xingbao, who was slumped on the floor.

"Can't the Seventh Seat even play with a toy?"

At the word "toy," Xingbao bit down hard on her lip.

The taste of iron filled her mouth.

She clutched her head and huddled behind Welt without a word.

The two disguises traded lines without a pause.

Su Chen felt as though his soul were being pulled in opposite directions.

But he had to sell the act all the way.

The locals needed to believe the Imaginary Divine Court was a vast power with a rigid hierarchy.

One with factions and internal strife of its own.

The Female Lord's gaze turned utterly cold.

The air itself seemed to grow ten times heavier.

Damaged pipes along the corridor ceiling creaked under the strain.

"A toy?"

She raised her free left hand, golden Geo swirling around her fingertips.

"Withdraw your Limitless. Cause any more trouble, and I will seal you in Amber and take you back to the Divine Court for punishment."

She did not speak loudly.

But her words carried the chill of a promise she would keep.

The defiance on little Satoru Gojo's face stiffened.

She stood rooted to the spot, tiny hands clutching her clothes.

The two faced each other from a few paces apart.

The air felt as solid as iron.

March 7th covered her mouth, hardly daring to breathe.

Sweat soaked Himeko's palm around her mechanical saw, her knuckles white.

Ten seconds later.

Pop.

A soft sound rang out.

The blue-violet barrier around little Satoru Gojo—one that even the genius Herta could not decipher—dissolved.

The little girl plopped onto a supply crate that had mostly survived.

Her short legs swung twice in the air.

"Seal me, seal me. All you ever do is threaten me with Amber."

She turned away in a huff and refused to look at the Female Lord.

"You outrank me, so you get your way. That's what I get for you being Fourth Seat. You're no fun at all!"

Su Chen let out a long breath of relief inside.

Perfect.

Their little double act had gone off without a hitch.

It had saved Xingbao and made the Divine Court seem even more formidable.

The Female Lord was aloof and authoritative; the Seventh Seat was violent and willful, but obeyed her superiors.

Both personas were firmly established.

Su Chen's forehead was slick with sweat.

Split-Control Mode drained him badly. If he had to switch disguises one more time today, he felt sure his brain would burst.

Meanwhile, the Astral Express Crew was utterly stunned.

Welt stared at the little girl sulking on the crate.

Then he looked at the Female Lord, standing there in all her imposing glory.

He slowed his breathing, afraid to make the slightest sound.

His mind raced through the key phrases he had just heard.

First Seat. Rules. Sealed in Amber.

The Seventh Seat, who could wipe out a fleet with one hand, had not even dared to resist the Fourth Seat.

She had simply dropped her defenses like a child caught misbehaving.

What did that mean?

It meant the Imaginary Divine Court was no loose alliance of powerful individuals.

It was a terrifying organization with a strict hierarchy, overwhelming differences in strength, and even its own forms of punishment.

What level of being was the First Seat, whom none of them had ever seen?

What could make monsters like these willingly follow the rules?

Could the First Seat truly be an Aeon?

A profound sense of helplessness washed over Welt.

And they had actually tried to guess what such a force wanted.

It was like an ant trying to shake a tree. Absurd.

The Female Lord slowly withdrew her spear.

It dissolved into golden motes and vanished into the air.

She paid no attention to Xingbao on the floor and did not look at anyone in the Astral Express Crew.

With her hands clasped behind her back, she stared coldly at little Satoru Gojo.

"From now on, you will not use your Cursed Technique without my permission."

The Female Lord delivered her final order.

Little Satoru Gojo turned her back and gave a loud snort, which passed for agreement.

The Astral Express Crew watched the two titans quarrel from the sidelines.

The corridor was so quiet that only the wind in the ventilation ducts could be heard.

Welt's throat tightened. He swallowed with difficulty.

His Adam's apple bobbed with a faint gulp.

He knew he absolutely could not interrupt now.

When gods fought, even a mortal's breathing was an offense.

Welt slowly turned toward Himeko and March 7th beside him.

He raised his sweat-soaked hand and made an emphatic downward gesture.

Himeko and March 7th looked at him.

Welt's face was taut, every line of it a warning.

He made no sound, only mouthed the words to them with deliberate force.

One word at a time, he said silently:

"Don't make a sound. Whatever you do, don't get dragged into their internal reprimand!"