The Siren drifted over the tops of the tall grass, spectral in the darkness.

He tapped a few keys on the communicator strapped to his left wrist, and a wafer-thin crystal shard sprang out. A faint blue light coiled around the translucent crystal, marked with lines of varying depth that charted the nearby terrain. A thin green dot in a ravine indicated the rapidly moving Siren, while a spreading red halo in a hollow a dozen kilometers ahead marked his destination.

His form whooshed forward, the hazy silver light beneath his feet trailing a long ribbon of luminescence. The Siren reached his destination in mere minutes.

A hundred-meter-long Romain light cruiser was docked in the hollow. What set this vessel apart from standard Romain warships was that while it was also carved with countless exquisite, complex patterns across its hull, its armor plating was pitch black. The specialized optical camouflage coating allowed it to merge almost perfectly with the night; it was only visible upon close approach.

The ship’s hatch was open. On the ramp, equally shadowed, Porphyrius stood with a grim expression, staring intensely at the rapidly approaching Siren.

When the ship was still three hundred meters away, Porphyrius suddenly let out a sharp, piercing shriek.

“Siren! You vile crawler!”

A mental shockwave, blue tinged with violet, shot from Porphyrius’s brow, coalescing into a brilliant bolt of lightning aimed at the Siren. Simultaneously, countless lifelike roses carved onto Porphyrius’s exquisite black armor spewed forth great clouds of blue mist. The deep azure vapor gathered into a thick curtain of light enveloping Porphyrius entirely. He drew a two-meter-long high-energy light-sword, swept through the air over two hundred meters, and brought the blade down in a devastating arc toward the Siren.

“Porphyrius, is this how you treat an old comrade?”

With a light flick of his fingers, the Siren caught the blue lightning bolt in his hand. Accompanied by a low, bizarre incantation, the blue lightning writhed and was absorbed into the Siren’s body. Faint electric sparks flickered across his silver hair. The Siren swung his right hand, and the bronze rapier transformed into a shimmering arc of light, slicing toward Porphyrius.

With a deafening crack, the high-energy light-sword was cleaved in two. Immense energy erupted from the fractured blade, and dozens of thick electric arcs lashed out, enveloping Porphyrius. He screamed in terror, and before his feet could even touch the ground, he sprang backward violently. The light-curtain around his armor thickened even further as the arcs struck it, resulting in thunderous collisions. It took a long moment for the assault to subside.

“Damn it, what is that thing in your hand? Is that another treasure you snatched from Paradise Star?”

Porphyrius glared greedily at the bronze rapier in the Siren’s grasp.

“No, it did not come from Paradise Star. It is a treasure bestowed upon me by my Master!”

The Siren smirked, explaining the bronze sword’s origin to Porphyrius.

“I adore it. Its weight, its length—it’s almost custom-made for me. Especially its sharpness; it’s practically indestructible. I can’t even find a name worthy of it!”

Porphyrius watched the Siren with burning jealousy, angrily tossing the hilt of his light-sword aside.

“You damned wretch! Don’t you owe my family an explanation? What was our agreement? You helped my family become one of the Nine Great Electoral Families, so I convinced the elders to grant you two precious Christal Orbs! But you have betrayed our hopes!”

The Siren coldly concealed the bronze sword beneath his voluminous cloak, looking at Porphyrius with chilling indifference, speaking with brutal finality: “Do I?”

Porphyrius started forward in fury, but quickly retreated three cautious steps. He roared, “Don’t you? You borrowed a hundred of our finest Spirit Warriors, but you actually deployed them in the development of Paradise Star! You conniving bastard, you want to hoard Paradise Star for yourself! I’ve seen countless treacherous, ugly Terrans, but never one as treacherous as you!”

The Siren watched Porphyrius, unconcerned, and sneered, “Treachery? I made no promise to your family whatsoever! I discovered Paradise Star myself. What do you mean by hoarding it? Am I supposed to share it with your family? Preposterous!”

Porphyrius glared at the Siren, raging, “Enough! I don't want to waste words with you. In short, you have disappointed our family’s trust, you have violated the pact between us, and you ruined the opportunity that would have made our family the number one Electoral Family among the Romain! You owe our family dearly! So, I’m giving you one chance!”

“Tell me,” the Siren murmured, gripping the hilt at his waist.

Porphyrius sneered, “Kneel and swear upon the gods of our Eupolys family that you willingly become a slave-warrior to our house. You will dedicate Aredia to me as my concubine, and I will forgive the sins you have committed. From now on, you will serve the Eupolys family single-mindedly, and in two decades, you will add strength to our clan.”

A vile, leering smile stretched across Porphyrius’s face as he chuckled triumphantly. “Aredia’s psychic abilities are formidable, and her appearance ranks among the most exquisite beauties even among us Romain. Although she carries the inferior blood of you Terrans, perhaps my superior genes can bless her with the honor of bearing a child of extraordinary talent!”

The Siren froze. He stared at Porphyrius in shocked disbelief, then sneered, “Are you mad, or simply foolish? You want me to become a slave to your Eupolys family? Are you… worthy?”

Porphyrius also gaped, pointing a finger at the Siren in astonishment. “What did you say? You… you…”

The Siren cautiously retreated a step, shaking his head forcefully. “I don’t feel I owe your Eupolys family anything. It was purely a transaction: you gave me two Christal Orbs, and I helped you strike against the power of the Nine Great Electoral Families. You have already received sufficient return! At the very least, I annihilated the fleets of three families for you on Paradise Star!”

Porphyrius stepped forward again. He spat, “The destruction of those three fleets has nothing to do with you! You damned liar, do you think I can’t access the secret reports from your Federation Military? You wretched thing, you failed to deliver on everything you promised me, and you owe me—you owe our family—so much more!”

He waved his hand and drew another high-energy light-sword, shouting in exasperation, “You should have told our family about Paradise Star’s existence! Our family would surely control it now, and the number one Electoral Family among the Romain would be ours! But your greed, your stupidity, led you to betray our alliance, so you must pay the debt with yourself and Aredia! Do you know the value of two Christal Orbs? You couldn't afford them even if you sold yourself!”

“Damn it!” the Siren shouted as he retreated rapidly. “A three-in-a-thousand survival rate—that is the value of the Christal Orbs! You utter fool! Is there an alliance between us? It was just a transaction. I participated in the Paradise Star battle; eliminating three enemy fleets more than compensated your Eupolys family. If you seek more, you will find it is all for nothing! You damn creature!”

To seek more monthly votes—will it all be for nothing?

To seek more recommendation tickets—will that too be in vain?