Insufferable Bastard

Ashes and smoke twirled and pirouetted in the grasp of the wind, swirling into miniature tornadoes that dissipated into the distant horizon. The once pristine, dark starry sky now lay concealed beneath an oppressive shroud of thick, ominous black clouds.

At the edges of the island, small red bubbles burst when molten metal and rock came into contact with the oceanic water.

The nuclear fusion explosion triggered by the seven war robots released such an amount of energy that, even after almost an hour, the island was still covered in lakes of molten lava. The hundreds of thousands of androids that originally populated the desolate city showed horrific signs of destruction.

Those closest to the explosion disintegrated instantly, while those farther away had missing parts; some transformed into masses of metal resembling twisted statues...

It was as if the apocalypse had descended, and to make matters worse, the island, albeit slowly, was inexorably sinking into the depths!

Dozens of meters above the boiling surface, Eldran's main ship floated in silence. A short distance away, thousands of soldiers lined up in formation, all wearing complete armor that hid their faces.

The atmosphere was solemn, as if they were facing a terrifying presence that they could not challenge, regardless of the circumstances.

Although the sight was impressive, most were covered in dirt, whether it be dust, layers of burnt metal, or other impurities. This was because, in the explosion, practically everyone was caught in the midst of chaos; many were buried or even submerged in lava.

It took them a considerable amount of time to emerge from the debris and lava, a rather unpleasant few minutes...

Nevertheless, thanks to their advanced armor designed to withstand extreme space conditions, they avoided being incinerated or crushed by the huge rocks falling from the island's subterranean levels, which practically collapsed entirely.

Behind them, a small spherical anti-gravity device with a three-dimensional fractal structure emitted a soft cyan light. This device created a distorted energy field, like a bubble covering all the soldiers, allowing them to float in the air without the need for a solid platform or surface.

It might seem like astonishing technology, but it made them move clumsily, useless in battle but exceptional for building floating cities and other structures of the Astrylites.

Around them, hundreds of small triangular ships surrounded the island, and more ships continued to arrive from all sides.

Almost all the soldiers on Earth had been summoned!

"..."

Eldran, in the center of the formation, wore his golden armor with arms marked by cracks and burnt patches. He held his helmet in his right hand, displaying a forced expression of respect. In other words, he reluctantly exhibited submission to the fat soldier in golden armor who strutted around on a floating white chair.

Indeed, Major Zarok occupied his chair, which he had always taken care of and had purchased himself.

Now, however, it had to endure that fat ass...

"They released that traitor!? Are they heading this way...? Shit, well, let them do as they please; reasoning with those siblings is impossible," declared Zarok, his gaze fixed on a holographic screen that only he could see. On the other side of the screen, the two guards watched helplessly.

Unable to do anything, they had no choice but to inform Major Zarok about the actions of those brothers.

Tch!

Zarok, with his greasy face trembling with discontent, commented, "Still, for them to enter my ship as if it were their own backyard... These council people do whatever they want on Astrylite territory."

Although he thought this, he really didn't dare to confront those brothers.

Even when questioned about the death of a Fyralithor nest and a Cordiolethor, he could only respond by bowing his head, like a pathetic servant. They belittled and ridiculed him for every word he uttered. Especially that bitch, who looked at him with disdain, as if he were repulsive, which made no sense; he was exceptionally beautiful, and for reasons like that, he despised any other race than his own!

What did they expect him to say when he really didn't know what had happened!?

They called him useless for not deploying advanced satellites around this low-ranking world, but they didn't understand that such measures were reserved for more important battalions. It was already enough that the royals provided him with technology that actually worked!

Even though his mission had some relevance, it wasn't on the priority list of his race.

To those nobles, only their stupid rare mineral mattered, and nothing else.

Reflecting on all these problems, his mind was instantly filled with images of delicious dishes: roasted beef, stuffed turkey, and much more.

He had always enjoyed tasting the food of the various races on the planets he visited.

Zarok boasted of being one of the galaxy's most prominent food critics!

He admired the recipes of the humble race that had populated this world centuries ago. They were particularly unique, offering a wide variety of delights. Despite spending five hundred years trying everything his soldiers, now turned personal cooks, prepared for him, there was still an endless list of dishes he hadn't had the chance to taste.

Only five hundred years remained for his mission to be completed, so he had to hurry and not waste time on nonsense!

In a matter of seconds, he pictured himself naked, covered in exotic sauces and high-quality meat chunks, using his hands to grab everything around him and eat incessantly as if he were in paradise.

"Major...?" the long-haired guard asked, confused to see Zarok standing still with a vacant look, opening and closing his mouth in a repulsive manner. The worst part was that he wagged his tongue from side to side, releasing his saliva. Both were desperately looking for a way to erase that image from their minds.

Finally, Zarok snapped out of his fantasy and, looking at the two guards, simply said indifferently, "That's all, don't contact me if you don't have anything important to report."

As he was about to disconnect the call, he suddenly remembered something, "Don't forget to clean and make my precious shine, I don't want it stained with the blood of that disgusting traitor!" with those words, the screen disappeared. In the main mothership, both looked at each other, covered in sweat and with orange-toned complexions, indicating paleness from fear.

They observed the torture platform with all its broken chains and felt that their days of prosperity were about to come to an end...

Zarok scrutinized Eldran and slowly shook his head, his gaze fixed on the island: "How unexpected, to encounter a "former" Lieutenant who was once respected in this sorry state. Fate seems to delight in toying with those who do wrong."

His tone was so unpleasant that most soldiers around longed to strike the repulsive fat man, but none were willing to risk their lives, so they opted for silence.

Eldran, in particular, kept reminding himself to stay calm, teetering on the edge of losing control.

But the fat bastard even uttered that 'former' out loud!

"Why don't you say anything? Do you think losing some soldiers is insignificant? Ah, is that it? Are you scared, I understand. My imposing presence, covered in muscles, terrifies any insignificant being."

Zarok continued to speak, arrogating divine qualities with every word.

It was only when the silence persisted that he got bored of talking and, looking at Eldran, expressed dissatisfaction: "Well, give me a report of what happened here, quick and detailed."

"Yes... In a moment, Major, I will provide you with a report!" Eldran's voice was grave, his clenched teeth revealing the anger he felt.

Zzzoomm!

Unexpectedly, before he could contact the ship's AI, a pair of black ships appeared in an instant. They stopped just a few meters away.

Sshhhk!

The cabins of both ships opened, revealing three figures: the council brothers and Rylokian, the latter wearing an imposing black armor that surpassed the one he had been using since his arrival on this world. Previously, it would have been impossible to obtain something like this, but with these brothers, almost anything was possible, as if they were Astrylite nobles, despite being of another race.

Eldran watched them without understanding who they were, as he had no knowledge of the visit of Lumineos Council members.

The surrounding soldiers hesitated to decide whether to aim at these outsiders; some even began to think that the culprits of this disaster had arrived for the final battle.

"Who are you-" Eldran was about to ask but was instantly stopped by Zarok.

"..."

He stayed without saying a word as Zarok's fat finger sealed his mouth shut; his chest rose and fell forcefully. It wasn't until that son of a bitch walked away that he managed to calm down.

The unbearable Major changed his arrogant expression and, as if he were a peasant addressing a king for the first time, said: "Lord Mykarion, Miss Morynthia, may I know how I can serve you? If you need information, my loyal subordinates, out of respect for me, are already gathering everything that can be known about what happened in this place."

His three eyes focused exclusively on the two brothers, completely ignoring Rylokian.

"?"

The soldiers around, especially Eldran, listened to this with clenched fists, as if they were truly about to beat that wretch to death at that very moment!

The brothers and Rylokian noticed this and instantly understood.

"...Yeah, I think it's best if you go play somewhere else," Morynthia said, waving her hand as if she were fanning the air.

Mykarion looked at Eldran as if recognizing the figure of authority in this place and asked, "Can you tell me in detail what happened here? Were there any witnesses who saw someone different? Something like a being not of the Astrylite race."