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Chapter 209: Almerac's Ally
Only about a second had passed since Orin Vale boarded the warship, and the entire bridge was now completely under his control.
One by one, the aliens knelt on the ground, clutching their heads with faces full of resentment. Yet, none dared to meet his gaze.
Orin Vale gave them a cursory scan. This group seemed to hail from a star system with a species genetically similar to humans; their appearances were virtually indistinguishable. But that meant little. In the DC Universe, human-like species were scattered across the galaxies, and far too many bore a similar resemblance.
"Who are you? What is your purpose here?" Orin Vale asked, getting straight to the point.
His gaze slowly swept over them. Anyone he glanced at immediately lowered their head, as if they were silently chanting a "don't see me" spell, much like an unprepared student when a teacher calls on them to recite a text.
Only one of them actually dared to look at him with a resentful expression.
So Orin Vale floated directly in front of the man. "It looks like you have something to say?"
"Hmph, you are strong, I must admit that, alien." The man said defiantly, his neck stiff. "But if you think you can make the most glorious of fighters submit through brute force, you are sorely mistaken. If you have the guts, go ahead and try something on us, I—"
Before he could finish, Orin Vale flashed forward, grabbed his arm, and the two of them shot into the air, vanishing with a crackle of electricity.
But in the very next instant, an afterimage flashed back onto the bridge—but it was only Orin Vale. The electric light dissipated from his body, radiating into the air in wispy filaments.
"Alright, I just invited that guy to have tea on the sun. Anyone else want to give it a try?"
He swept his gaze over the crowd, his expression blank.
The remaining crew immediately turned ashen-faced. Looking at this red-and-silver figure before them was like looking at a demon.
"You look like you have something to say?" Orin Vale looked towards another alien who was playing ostrich, the latter wishing he could bury his head in the floor.
Realizing he'd been singled out by the demon, the man shuddered and hurriedly said, "I-I-I... We were just following orders; we don't know anything! The mission was given directly to the Captain. We were just obeying his orders; we don't know any of the details."
"Oh." Orin Vale nodded in understanding but continued to ask, "Then which one of you is the Captain?"
The aliens looked at each other and fell silent for a moment.
Then, someone mustered their courage and said weakly, "The Captain is... is the one you just took to the sun for tea..."
Orin Vale: "..."
Awkward.
"Well... wait a moment."
His figure flickered again, and a radiant light swept past everyone like a whirlwind. In just another instant, he flashed back, holding the Captain in his hand like a little chicken.
Fortunately, he had held back and was just scaring them. He hadn't actually thrown the man into the sun, otherwise, even asking a few questions would have been a hassle.
The Captain was thrown to the ground, curled up and trembling violently. The lightning-fast flash seemed to have left him dazed, but when he looked up and met those round eyes, he immediately shuddered and shot to his feet.
"Remembered anything yet?"
The Captain's bravado seemed to have vanished completely in a matter of seconds. He said sullenly, "We are from Almerac. I am General Tango of Almerac."
This was somewhat unexpected for Orin Vale.
Almerac... the place Maxima came from?
But he recalled that Maxima had just been husband-hunting, and she had even seemed to do a number of good deeds on Earth recently. To say she would mobilize an army to cause trouble was an exaggeration.
Surely she hadn't decided that if she couldn't have him, she would destroy him, and then actually brought an army to kill him, right?
Orin Vale fell into a thoughtful silence, but it seemed General Tango misinterpreted this silence as fear upon hearing his planet's name.
The General's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly added, "There's no harm in telling you. Our Almerac is the foremost civilization in the galaxy, possessing the most advanced technology."
"And our princess, Maxima—you may not have heard of her, but she is known as the number one powerhouse in the galaxy. She has challenged the top fighters from most of the civilizations in the galaxy and has never once been defeated."
His words pulled Orin Vale back from his thoughts. He glanced at him. "Are you threatening me?"
General Tango's breath caught. That single glance felt like a weight on his chest, and his voice immediately quieted. "J-just a friendly reminder..."
Seeing their General act so cowardly, the other Almeracians behind him couldn't help but fall silent. It was a truly pitiful display.
But when it's about survival, there's no shame in it.
"What are you doing here?" Orin Vale asked.
"I'm not sure. It was a mission from our superiors. They told us to lock down the Solar System. They're probably preparing for some major operation," General Tango said, his eyes shifting.
Orin Vale noticed his evasive gaze. "Are you sure you haven't forgotten anything?"
"N-no."
"Fine." Orin Vale said magnanimously, grabbing his arm and posturing as if to take off again. "Let's go have that cup of tea on the sun, then. Maybe you'll remember something else."
"W-wait a second!" General Tango said hastily.
"I remember now! It's just my speculation, but this matter might be related to Almerac's new allies."
"New allies?" Orin Vale pressed.
"Some very strange fellows. None of us like them," General Tango said. "Weird robots. Their movements are stiff and cold, and they give off a very strange vibe."
"But the higher-ups seem to place great importance on them and have reached some sort of agreement with them. They might be planning some kind of operation here in the Solar System, which is why we were dispatched here."
"Robots?"
Orin Vale pondered for a moment before asking.
"These robots, could they happen to have a name? Like, Manhunters?"
General Tango's eyes widened.
"How did you know?"
***
Almerac.
"The fleet in the Solar System is not responding to our calls."
A man in armor with a small mustache sat on a magnificent chair, his brows furrowed.
He turned his head to look at someone in the darkness and said.
"You said the Solar System was just a primitive star system, that it posed no threat. What else are you hiding?"
In the darkness, red eyes lit up. A Manhunter stood there silently.
"Do not worry. Everything is under the Grandmaster's control."
"Grandmaster, always the Grandmaster," the man in armor grumbled in dissatisfaction. "This Grandmaster, does he have a name? When will I be able to speak directly with the person behind all this?"
"The Grandmaster does not see the necessity."
"We are allies. We should decide together whether it's necessary," the man in armor said impatiently. "At the very least, can you reveal your next move? Show a little sincerity as an ally?"
"Your nervousness is entirely unnecessary. For the next step, the Grandmaster has already deployed one of our ultimate weapons. A truly terrifying existence, a terrifying embodiment that we liberated from the Anti-Matter Universe with the help of the Divine Race, is now approaching the Solar System."
The Manhunter paused, then softly uttered a single name.
"Parallax."
***
I've been working overtime for the past two days and getting home very late (the agony of the daily grind). I originally wanted to release three chapters, but it's gotten very late by the time I've finished writing this much ╯△╰. During my work hours tomorrow, I'll see if I can find a way to slack off and sneak in another chapter. I'll do my best to provide an extra chapter update tomorrow.
(end of chapter)
Only about a second had passed since Orin Vale boarded the warship, and the entire bridge was now completely under his control.
One by one, the aliens knelt on the ground, clutching their heads with faces full of resentment. Yet, none dared to meet his gaze.
Orin Vale gave them a cursory scan. This group seemed to hail from a star system with a species genetically similar to humans; their appearances were virtually indistinguishable. But that meant little. In the DC Universe, human-like species were scattered across the galaxies, and far too many bore a similar resemblance.
"Who are you? What is your purpose here?" Orin Vale asked, getting straight to the point.
His gaze slowly swept over them. Anyone he glanced at immediately lowered their head, as if they were silently chanting a "don't see me" spell, much like an unprepared student when a teacher calls on them to recite a text.
Only one of them actually dared to look at him with a resentful expression.
So Orin Vale floated directly in front of the man. "It looks like you have something to say?"
"Hmph, you are strong, I must admit that, alien." The man said defiantly, his neck stiff. "But if you think you can make the most glorious of fighters submit through brute force, you are sorely mistaken. If you have the guts, go ahead and try something on us, I—"
Before he could finish, Orin Vale flashed forward, grabbed his arm, and the two of them shot into the air, vanishing with a crackle of electricity.
But in the very next instant, an afterimage flashed back onto the bridge—but it was only Orin Vale. The electric light dissipated from his body, radiating into the air in wispy filaments.
"Alright, I just invited that guy to have tea on the sun. Anyone else want to give it a try?"
He swept his gaze over the crowd, his expression blank.
The remaining crew immediately turned ashen-faced. Looking at this red-and-silver figure before them was like looking at a demon.
"You look like you have something to say?" Orin Vale looked towards another alien who was playing ostrich, the latter wishing he could bury his head in the floor.
Realizing he'd been singled out by the demon, the man shuddered and hurriedly said, "I-I-I... We were just following orders; we don't know anything! The mission was given directly to the Captain. We were just obeying his orders; we don't know any of the details."
"Oh." Orin Vale nodded in understanding but continued to ask, "Then which one of you is the Captain?"
The aliens looked at each other and fell silent for a moment.
Then, someone mustered their courage and said weakly, "The Captain is... is the one you just took to the sun for tea..."
Orin Vale: "..."
Awkward.
"Well... wait a moment."
His figure flickered again, and a radiant light swept past everyone like a whirlwind. In just another instant, he flashed back, holding the Captain in his hand like a little chicken.
Fortunately, he had held back and was just scaring them. He hadn't actually thrown the man into the sun, otherwise, even asking a few questions would have been a hassle.
The Captain was thrown to the ground, curled up and trembling violently. The lightning-fast flash seemed to have left him dazed, but when he looked up and met those round eyes, he immediately shuddered and shot to his feet.
"Remembered anything yet?"
The Captain's bravado seemed to have vanished completely in a matter of seconds. He said sullenly, "We are from Almerac. I am General Tango of Almerac."
This was somewhat unexpected for Orin Vale.
Almerac... the place Maxima came from?
But he recalled that Maxima had just been husband-hunting, and she had even seemed to do a number of good deeds on Earth recently. To say she would mobilize an army to cause trouble was an exaggeration.
Surely she hadn't decided that if she couldn't have him, she would destroy him, and then actually brought an army to kill him, right?
Orin Vale fell into a thoughtful silence, but it seemed General Tango misinterpreted this silence as fear upon hearing his planet's name.
The General's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly added, "There's no harm in telling you. Our Almerac is the foremost civilization in the galaxy, possessing the most advanced technology."
"And our princess, Maxima—you may not have heard of her, but she is known as the number one powerhouse in the galaxy. She has challenged the top fighters from most of the civilizations in the galaxy and has never once been defeated."
His words pulled Orin Vale back from his thoughts. He glanced at him. "Are you threatening me?"
General Tango's breath caught. That single glance felt like a weight on his chest, and his voice immediately quieted. "J-just a friendly reminder..."
Seeing their General act so cowardly, the other Almeracians behind him couldn't help but fall silent. It was a truly pitiful display.
But when it's about survival, there's no shame in it.
"What are you doing here?" Orin Vale asked.
"I'm not sure. It was a mission from our superiors. They told us to lock down the Solar System. They're probably preparing for some major operation," General Tango said, his eyes shifting.
Orin Vale noticed his evasive gaze. "Are you sure you haven't forgotten anything?"
"N-no."
"Fine." Orin Vale said magnanimously, grabbing his arm and posturing as if to take off again. "Let's go have that cup of tea on the sun, then. Maybe you'll remember something else."
"W-wait a second!" General Tango said hastily.
"I remember now! It's just my speculation, but this matter might be related to Almerac's new allies."
"New allies?" Orin Vale pressed.
"Some very strange fellows. None of us like them," General Tango said. "Weird robots. Their movements are stiff and cold, and they give off a very strange vibe."
"But the higher-ups seem to place great importance on them and have reached some sort of agreement with them. They might be planning some kind of operation here in the Solar System, which is why we were dispatched here."
"Robots?"
Orin Vale pondered for a moment before asking.
"These robots, could they happen to have a name? Like, Manhunters?"
General Tango's eyes widened.
"How did you know?"
***
Almerac.
"The fleet in the Solar System is not responding to our calls."
A man in armor with a small mustache sat on a magnificent chair, his brows furrowed.
He turned his head to look at someone in the darkness and said.
"You said the Solar System was just a primitive star system, that it posed no threat. What else are you hiding?"
In the darkness, red eyes lit up. A Manhunter stood there silently.
"Do not worry. Everything is under the Grandmaster's control."
"Grandmaster, always the Grandmaster," the man in armor grumbled in dissatisfaction. "This Grandmaster, does he have a name? When will I be able to speak directly with the person behind all this?"
"The Grandmaster does not see the necessity."
"We are allies. We should decide together whether it's necessary," the man in armor said impatiently. "At the very least, can you reveal your next move? Show a little sincerity as an ally?"
"Your nervousness is entirely unnecessary. For the next step, the Grandmaster has already deployed one of our ultimate weapons. A truly terrifying existence, a terrifying embodiment that we liberated from the Anti-Matter Universe with the help of the Divine Race, is now approaching the Solar System."
The Manhunter paused, then softly uttered a single name.
"Parallax."
***
I've been working overtime for the past two days and getting home very late (the agony of the daily grind). I originally wanted to release three chapters, but it's gotten very late by the time I've finished writing this much ╯△╰. During my work hours tomorrow, I'll see if I can find a way to slack off and sneak in another chapter. I'll do my best to provide an extra chapter update tomorrow.
(end of chapter)
