Chapter 232: Supreme Authority

[Make way.]

The AI voice echoed in cold indifference, clearly unbothered that there were two Monarchs standing before it.

“What is this?” One of the Monarchs tilted its head to the side.

“It looks like a human invention, brother.” The other answered.

Strangely, the two Monarchs weren’t offended by the giant’s tone. After all, the colossal amount of spiritual energy contained in the being told them it was no pushover.

However, that by no means meant that they were going to admit defeat. Their pride as members of the Hreh’tar race would simply never allow them that.

“Go towards the humans that ran away with their tails behind their backs, brother. I shall deal with this can of metal myself.”

Wordlessly the Monarch on the left bolted towards the capital, numerous aliens lingering behind it. Meanwhile, the other Monarch that remained stood its ground against the towering giant.

[Pitiful creatures, bearing the same resemblance as humanity. Regardless of what you do, you shall never attain perfection.]

The sentient AI didn’t linger. Shifting the form of its arm to a colossal cannon, it got ready to unleash the nuke-like projectile.

“Let’s see what you are capable of!” The alien bellowed, pouncing forward.

As the battle raged on, Michael watched intently. At first glance, it seemed the Monarch had the upper hand. But appearances were deceiving. The robot had amassed a tremendous reserve of spiritual energy, and eventually, the tide of battle would turn in its favor.

“I’ll let them fight to the death. In the meantime, I’ll slip behind the AI and use Bypasser near its head. With the giant distracted and weakened by the Monarch, it should be possible…” Michael muttered, his gaze drifting toward the lava.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped toward the boiling liquid. For a moment, it looked almost suicidal, but his foot froze a heartbeat before touching the lava. By coating his feet with Psychokinesis, he hovered just above the molten surface, making it appear as though he was walking on the lava itself.

“This will spend less energy than flying on the sword, but it will still burn through my reserves at a fast rate. I need to make haste.”

Gripping his sword tightly, he lunged forward like a madman, hunting for even the slightest weakness among the godlike beings.

At the same time, the Lords that had been busy halting the alien advance finally retreated to the capital, their faces pale from exhaustion.

“Miss Livia!” One of them contacted the new Minister of Defense. “Things are not looking good! Please tell me you have managed to call reinforcements!”

There was silence for a couple of seconds before Livia’s voice echoed.

“You can say that… The only one that answered our call of need was the Sacred Order. But… apparently they have sent only a single individual.”

“WHAT?!”

The Lords roared in unison.

“Just one? Unless they send the King himself, which I doubt, they might as well not have sent anyone! At least that would have been less insulting!”

Livia wasn’t surprised by the Lords’ outburst.

“My hands are tied. We must manage with all we have.”

Before the Lords could retort, she cut off the connection, busy with barking orders to the other troops.

“FUCK!”

One of them hit a nearby wall, turning it to rubble.

“Things are looking dire. We didn’t damage the Monarchs in our fight, and the giant robot is still functional. I reckon it’s only a matter of time before they reach the capital…”

Another spoke with a frown:

“At this point, deserting might be our best course of action.”

“…”

To the horror of the common troops, the Lords didn’t immediately discard the idea.

Of course, if they were to leave now, they would essentially be dooming half a billion humans to their deaths.

But were they really at fault? They had done everything they could, yet their strength proved inefficient. If they were to leave now after trying their best and that resulted in humans dying, the mortal civilians could only blame themselves for their weaknesses.

This was their thought process.

“So this is how lowly the so-called Lords have fallen…”

A feminine voice interjected in the middle of their discussion, halting it abruptly.

Someone had avoided their senses entirely and sneaked upon them!

Alerted, they all glared at the source, ready for battle.

“!!!”

Yet their caution was short-lived, replaced by pure dread instead.

“One of the C—Cursed Children?” One felt his knees going weak, causing him to bow on the spot.

“Supreme Lord?” Another murmured in shock, too scared to retort.

Until the Grandmaster realm, they were divided into four stages: Early, Middle, Late, and Peak. But for those of the Lord realm and higher, the system was different. Their stages were called: Radiant, Transcendent, Absolute, and Supreme.

The reason for the diversion was simple. In the lower realms, each stage marked a modest increase in power, but in the higher realms, each stage represented a leap in strength so immense it was almost impossible to comprehend.

Since the Lords here were merely of the Radiant stage, they felt no different than bugs before a Supreme Lord.

As for how they instantly knew the gorgeous woman who suddenly appeared before them was a Cursed Child, it was due to her striking crimson hair and eyes.

Only they carried these features.

“You haven’t answered my question.” Taking a step closer, she allowed her aura to run wild, forcing everybody to bow on their knees.

“Is this all your fighting spirit can muster?” A menacing edge began to creep into her voice.

“P—Please forgive us for our insolence!” The bravest one bellowed. “We will accept any punishment you deem worthy, but I beg of you, just spare our lives!”

“…”

Quietly, the woman stared down at the bowing Lords, a slight frown tugging at her flawless features. Her lustrous hair trailed in the wind, and her crimson eyes seemed to pierce through them, as if judging their very souls.

“Pathetic.”

To think that these soldiers were of the same realm as her really frustrated her…

“Point to where the danger is supposed to be.”

Obeying her order, one of the men gestured to the lava lake.

“I see… You may leave.”

She passed them, her expression returning to one of indifference.

“But know this. Should I lay my eyes upon you once more, I will end you.”

They stayed bowed until they were certain the Supreme Lord had truly departed. Then, unwilling to linger any longer, they hurried away, determined to go into hiding for years just to avoid crossing paths with her again.

As for the Supreme Lord, she dashed toward the lava lake, which seemed to emit a searing amount of spiritual energy, exterminating any alien and android that stood in her path.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep