Ch.360Chapter 360 – Battle with the Malevolent Star

For the people of this world, the night was a time of ‘rest.’

After working hard during the day and returning home, when darkness covered the land, they would take their repose.

However, night wasn’t always considered solely a time of ‘rest.’

One couldn’t forget the existence of creatures called demons, magical beasts, or monsters, as well as nocturnal animals.

These beings were active during the hours when darkness blanketed the earth.

They targeted the vulnerable time when everyone was asleep.

That’s why parents with children always had the phrase “don’t go out at night” on their lips.

Even strong adults avoided going out at night due to the danger, let alone fragile children.

So for the people of this world, night was a time where ‘rest’ and ‘death’ coexisted.

Still, recently, after the defeat of the Demon God, nights were often considered times of ‘rest.’

But the ominous star that appeared in the night sky seemed far removed from the word ‘rest.’

Though the darkness of night should have made everything pitch black,

The sky where the ominous star appeared was dyed red as if the evening sunset lingered.

“Hmm, why do such ominous events keep occurring during my reign?”

Emperor Decatro IV sighed as he gazed at the ominous star in the night sky.

Why were such strange occurrences happening frequently during his rule?

At least the Demon God situation had somehow been resolved.

In ancient times, a hero appeared to seal away the Demon God, and in this era too, a hero emerged to defeat the Demon God.

But what could be done about that ominous star that turned the night sky red?

Though the Empire’s power was great, how could they fight against a single star?

The thought of battling against a star made his mind reel.

As he was contemplating how to defeat a star, his chamberlain appeared behind him.

“Your Majesty. Grand Duchess Aurelion has contacted you.”

“Karen?”

Upon hearing that his eldest daughter Karen had made contact, Decatro IV received a crystal ball from the chamberlain.

Inside the crystal ball, he could see Karen, properly dressed.

“Karen. Did you contact me after seeing the night sky as well?”

[Yes, Father. I felt I needed to tell you, if no one else.]

Perhaps because they were meeting in a private space, both Karen and Decatro IV’s voices were softer than usual.

“Is that so? What is it that you must tell me?”

Decatro IV was curious about what Karen needed to tell him.

Perhaps, just maybe, it was a way to resolve this situation? That’s what he thought.

After all, Karen was currently with the man who had defeated the Demon God.

Could it be that, against all odds, Karen knew a way to deal with that ominous star?

With such vague expectations, Decatro IV looked at his daughter.

[First, please announce throughout the Empire that regardless of what happens in the sky, people should remain calm and continue with their daily lives as before.]

“Oh?”

Decatro IV detected something subtle in Karen’s words.

‘Regardless of what happens in the sky, remain calm?’

Didn’t that imply that something unusual might occur in the sky?

Alternatively, it could mean that something was definitely going to happen in the sky, and she was giving him advance notice.

“Is something about to happen in the sky?”

[Yes. He will explain the details to you later.]

“Hmm.”

Decatro IV let out a sigh.

He had already learned about the discovery of the ominous star from intelligence agents who had recovered Tonel’s remains.

He had also heard that the astrologer Tonel, Pathos, and Karen had met.

But the interval between these two events was extremely short.

Even assuming they had prepared immediately after meeting Tonel, the speed was too fast.

Preparing to face a star in less than a week?

If anyone else had said it, they would have been laughed at for making such an absurd claim.

‘But Karen, since it’s you saying it, I find myself believing it even if I don’t want to.’

However, Karen was currently with the man hailed as the Empire’s hero.

He was the man who had led humanity to victory in the battle against the Demon God, which had been thought impossible.

‘If it’s my son-in-law, he must have prepared some solution.’

Decatro IV had no particular basis for this belief.

It was simply… since he had led them to victory in the seemingly hopeless battle against the Demon God, he thought he would lead them to victory against the ominous star as well.

This wasn’t just his thought alone.

Among the people gazing at the ominous star that suddenly turned the night sky red,

Some said the appearance of the ominous star signaled the end of the world.

Others were packing their belongings to evacuate.

And finally, there were those who looked up at the sky, praying for this situation to end, thinking of one person.

‘If it’s Grand Duke Aurelion.’

‘If it’s the one who defeated the Demon God.’

‘He will surely defeat that ominously shining star too.’

The belief that Pathos would eliminate that ominous star.

Though there was no basis for it, he had defeated the Demon God after all.

While people were looking up at the sky and cheering for someone, the person receiving that support was looking at the ominous star with a relatively calm face.

◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

The scenario of a spaceship going into space to fight against a massive enemy blocking its path was something seen only in old sci-fi movies.

A predictable cliché of a brave and righteous protagonist fighting against a massive enemy created by evil forces.

But sometimes, a predictable story of good triumphing over evil was necessary.

Just like now.

“AI. What’s the current distance between the ominous star and this planet?”

[Approximately 40 million kilometers, sir.]

“40 million, huh…”

Hearing the distance between the ominous star Arcturus and this planet, it was both far and near.

From the perspective of a single planet, it was an immense distance.

But from the perspective of the universe, it was so short one might ask, “You call that a distance?”

“What’s the destructive range of the warhead we attached to the missile last time?”

[Approximately 4,000 kilometers, sir.]

“And the size of the ominous star?”

[The currently observable size is approximately 15,000 kilometers in diameter.]

A destructive range of 4,000 kilometers couldn’t destroy an ominous star with a diameter of 15,000 kilometers.

At best, it would leave a large pockmark.

“Is there anything showing up on the sensors?”

[The outer shell of the star classified as ominous appears to be wrapped in a special energy field classified as a shield.]

“An energy field?”

[Yes. I’ll show you the results of the wavelength analysis.]

The spaceship’s AI displayed what appeared to be analysis values from the sensors on the screen.

But being a layman in this field, I couldn’t make sense of the letters and graphs.

[As you can see, the energy field surrounding the exterior of the star is emitting energy patterns that serve as both a shield and a camouflage.]

“You mean that size isn’t real?”

[That’s correct. According to multi-spectral analysis, the actual size of the star is approximately 5,000 kilometers.]

5,000 kilometers means it’s about 1.5 times the size of the moon?

“Seems doable.”

The issue is that to hit the main body, we need to penetrate what appears to be a shield. How should we do it?

“What kind of weapon is effective against the shield used on that star?”

[Typically, shields of this type are strong against physical attacks. However, they tend to be easily penetrated by energy-based attacks.]

“Really?”

[Yes. Shields are primarily used to protect the hull from small debris and fragments floating in space.]

Oh, so the energy field in the form of a shield deployed outside the ominous star is weak against energy attacks.

“Among the weapons we have, is there one that can penetrate the shield and strike?”

[I recommend attacking with the Trident Beam Cannon first.]

“Good. Let’s start the attack then.”

[Yes, Master.]

I wasn’t currently aboard the spaceship. Since the spaceship wasn’t built for military purposes, it couldn’t perfectly block the energy field generated when using weapons.

So I was remotely controlling the spaceship.

It didn’t matter anyway since I could communicate with the spaceship via superluminal communication.

[I’ve moved near the ominous star via hyperspace jump. Please authorize the use of the Trident Beam Cannon.]

“Authorization granted.”

I gave the AI permission to use the weapon.

Then, the sky that had been glowing red suddenly turned white.

“What’s happening?”

I looked up at the sky and could see that as a pillar of white light struck the ominous star, the red light that had been coloring the world faded.

And the revealed main body of the ominous star was a spherical object with bizarre red streaks flowing across it.