Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 181: Blackheart Gone

Chapter 181: Blackheart Gone

As Liliana’s powers surged, Blackheart felt the blood in his veins go wild, as if it had a life of its own.

The pressure built up fast, and before he could even react, his muscles and veins exploded.

Blood gushed from his body, painting him in a grotesque mosaic of crimson, like a field of nightmarish flowers blooming from his flesh.

From a distance, it was as though his entire body had been transformed into a macabre canvas, red blossoms sprouting violently from every pore.

Perched calmly on the tail of the colossal wyrm, Lyra watched the scene unfold with an air of cold indifference.

Grade A superpower: Hemokinesis—a terrifying ability to manipulate blood. That seemed almost too perfect for Liliana.

Its raw strength was unmatched, but the cost of wielding it was brutal. Every advancement tore through the user’s body, forcing them to endure excruciating pain as their blood revolted.

Reaching higher levels without the aid of top-tier healing plants was nearly a death sentence—many who tried were consumed by their own power.

Blackheart had always known how dangerous Liliana’s abilities were, which is why he had restricted her access to those very healing plants.

In his paranoia, he’d even considered shattering her Crystal Core to cripple her growth. But her power was too valuable, and she was too useful.

Liliana had been the backbone of his empire, managing his operations with ruthless efficiency.

In the end, Blackheart thought he could control her, always keeping her one step below him.

But now, as she stood above him, holding the very healing plants he had denied her—plants she had obtained from Lyra—he realized too late that he had created his own demise.

His eagle had turned on him, sinking its talons deep into his flesh, and now it was feeding on the life it had once served.

As his life drained away, Blackheart gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief. "You turn against me... with... with that witch..." His voice choked out in a final, strangled cry before the darkness swallowed him whole.

Liliana stood up slowly, her expression unreadable.

The blood that had coated her body slithered off her like a living thing, leaving her pristine as if it had never touched her.

She spread her arms wide, tilting her face toward the sky, a soft, almost manic laugh escaping her lips.

"So this is what freedom feels like..." she whispered.

A single tear, stained red, slipped down her cheek—a tear for the thirty years she had spent imprisoned in her father’s cruel grasp.

From the moment she had been kidnapped at eight years old, her life had been one long nightmare of blood, death, and survival. And now, as she stood among the carnage, she was free—but empty, a hollow shell soaked in the blood of her past.

Lyra, who had been quietly observing the entire ordeal, finally rose. "Clean this up," she ordered, her voice steady. "Our backup has arrived."

The wyrm lowered her massive head to her, and Lyra patted her rough scales gently. "Go have some fun," she said softly.

The creature’s eyes gleamed with excitement, and with a powerful push from her wings, she shot into the sky, leaving a gust of wind in its wake.

Far above, Leandro and his squadron of mechas were piloting through the atmosphere when they spotted the giant wyrm.

Startled by the sudden appearance of such a massive beast, they prepared to engage, but the wyrm paid them no mind, shooting past them like a bullet.

Leandro’s team continued toward the coordinates Lyra had provided. But when they landed and saw the scene before them, even Leandro, seasoned in battle, was taken aback.

The ground was littered with bodies, a mountain of corpses and creeks of blood that soaked the battlefield. It was utter carnage, unlike anything they had expected.

Some of the younger interns in Leandro’s crew gagged, barely able to stomach the sight of the massacre.

Zinnia, piloting her own mecha, approached Lyra, her voice filled with concern. "Lyra! Are you okay?"

"I’m fine," Lyra replied coolly, her gaze fixed on the towering advanced mecha approaching her.

She gestured toward the battlefield of corpses. "Sir, Blackheart is dead, and the remaining pirates have surrendered."

Leandro opened the cockpit of his mecha, stepping out with a nod of approval. "You did well, Lyra. I’ll report this to the admiral. Your contribution will be noted."

He didn’t bother asking how Lyra had managed to wipe out Blackheart’s entire legion. The details didn’t matter. The mission was a success, and that’s all that counted.

Liliana and what was left of her crew quietly gathered their things, blending into the ranks of the military fleet as they prepared to depart aboard their warships.

Far off in the distance, a thin, tall woman with wild gray hair and a feathered shawl stood in the open door of a helicopter, watching the departing ships through a pair of binoculars. Her face was twisted with fury.

In a fit of rage, Erin crushed the binoculars in her hands, her voice dripping with venom.

"Fools! They got wiped out by two little girls working together!" she spat, her voice cracking with frustration.

She cursed her luck—Lyra and Liliana had moved faster than she ever could have anticipated.

"That utterly useless piece of trash!" Erin seethed, pacing furiously. "Liliana managed to reach level-seven right under Blackheart’s nose, and she’s gathered a loyal crew without him even realizing it!"

Erin’s original plan had been to swoop in at just the right moment and seize the chaos for herself. But now, the military had been watching Blackheart closely for some time, their forces lying in wait just outside the system.

They were ready to move at the first sign of weakness. No other faction would dare strike while the military had its eyes on the region—except Erin.

One of her subordinates hesitantly asked, "Are we really going to let Liliana walk away with all of Blackheart’s resources?"

"Absolutely not! That’s MY treasure!" she snapped, her eyes gleaming with ambition.

She spun toward the rest of her crew. "Tell the Broken Blades to gather all available forces. We’re heading to space—NOW. And spread the word—Blackheart’s dead. Whoever gets there first can have their pick of his loot!"

She paused, her jaw clenched in thought.

Leandro had likely only brought part of his forces here, given the distance and the fact that he wouldn’t leave his base completely unprotected.

If she moved quickly, this could be her best chance to take everything Blackheart had left behind. Even if she had to share the spoils with other pirate factions, it would be better than walking away empty-handed.

She licked her lips, a twisted smile creeping across her face. "I hear Blackheart made quite the fortune stashed away on Voidstar No. 2."

It wasn’t long before the Falcons Pirate Group, one of the closest groups in the area, arrived.

Their leader, an old man with a grizzled mohawk, spun two iron balls in his hands. He approached with a smirk. "You sure about this intel, Broken Blade?"

The woman, Broken Blade, scoffed, her sharp eyes narrowing. "I’ve been locked in a struggle with Demetra. You really think I’d be here if I wasn’t sure?" She paused, a dangerous glint in her eye. "And after we’re done, leave that Leandro brat to me. I’ve got plans for him."

The old man chuckled, his raspy voice dripping with amusement. "You always were one twisted hag."

It didn’t take long for the two pirate factions, both led by powerful level-eight Peculiars, to unite and surround Leandro’s base in space, their forces poised to strike.

Inside the command center, Leandro and Ansel were preparing for the inevitable attack.

"Looks like we’ll have to deal with this ourselves, Vice Admiral Shedd," Leandro muttered, irritation lacing his voice.

His fingers drummed impatiently on the console in front of him. If that old pirate tried to pull a fast one, Leandro swore he’d rather face the witch from the Broken Blades than let the old man get away unscathed.

"Of course," Ansel replied, his tone calm but alert. He knew all too well the gravity of the situation.

With two notorious pirate crews on their doorstep, each led by a level-eight Peculiar, the stakes were sky-high.

Even if Ansel had his own agenda, this was no time for games. They needed to organize their forces and act fast.

As they were preparing, Ansel couldn’t resist asking, "What about Lyra? How is she?"

Leandro gave a small smirk, glancing sidelong at his colleague. "Lyra’s just fine. In fact, I’ve already submitted the report. She’ll be credited for taking down Blackheart’s forces."

It was true, and personally, Leandro enjoyed the idea of using Lyra’s success to poke at Ansel. The battle was about to begin, and any edge he could get was worth it.

Meanwhile, deep within the ship, Lyra stood before the cell where Liliana was being held.

Liliana’s lips curved into a soft smile as she leaned forward, her hand reaching out to gently cup Lyra’s face.

"Lyra, are you sure you don’t want to join me?" Her voice was low and inviting. "You gave me new life. For you, I would die."

Lyra’s expression remained cold as she pulled away from Liliana’s touch. "I have my own path, Liliana."

But before Lyra could fully withdraw, Liliana snatched her hand again, gripping it tightly. Her eyes burned with intensity. "You know where you belong, Lyra. It’s with us."

Zinnia, who had been standing nearby, shuddered in disgust and quickly stepped forward. She grabbed Liliana’s wrist and yanking her hand away. "Lyra would never join someone like you!"

Liliana blinked in surprise, and then she laughed softly, her voice silky. "Ah, my little angel. It seems there’s always someone looking out for you, isn’t there?"

Thierry, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, shot Liliana a cold glare. "We should get ready for the fight," he said sternly.

His thoughts darkened—he hadn’t forgotten how Liliana’s crew had razed a small town to the ground, leaving nothing but devastation behind.

Lyra nodded, following him out of the room to assist the medical unit. But as they were splitting up, she spotted Erin approaching, her strides quick and purposeful.

"Lyra, come with me. We’re about to join the fight!" Erin called out, her voice tense with urgency.

Lyra immediately sensed something was off and turned to walk away, but Erin quickly grabbed her arm, leaning in close. "Are you really going to stand by and let Kail die? And what about your internship credits—don’t you want those too?"

Lyra froze for a moment, her mind racing.