Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 324: The Imperial Admiral

Chapter 324: The Imperial Admiral

After Lyra grievously wounded two Supremes in quick succession, panic rippled through the Stellar Devourers.

They scrambled to flee but found themselves unable to open any interdimensional channels.

With her blade pressed against one of their throats, Lyra’s voice was glacial. "Tell me—how did you know I was here?"

Even if Jerome knew she was someone else, he shouldn’t have been able to identify her. Certainly not as Lyra Shedd.

The Stellar Devourer clenched his jaw, refusing to answer.

Without hesitation, Lyra beheaded him in a single, fluid motion. The rest, paralyzed by fear, provided no useful information.

In the shadows, a man observed Lyra’s cold efficiency, his eyes glinting with interest as she dispatched her enemies.

Meanwhile, Jerome cowered in his office, drenched in sweat.

When Lyra perched on the window frame, he panicked and attacked first. She dodged effortlessly, leaping nimbly across the room before landing lightly on the coffee table.

Her expression hardened further as she swung her blade.

The slash was so sharp it sliced through the air with a wild, piercing sound.

First, the painting on the wall split cleanly in two, falling with a muted thud. Then, the entire building groaned ominously. The upper half of the tower—a local landmark—sheared off entirely and collapsed.

Amid the screams of those trapped inside, it crashed to the ground, raising a thick cloud of dust that engulfed the small town.

Under the moonlight, the cut gleamed like polished glass, smooth and reflective.

The sight left the town’s survivors in stunned silence.

Jerome froze, too terrified to move.

Serena, however, who had witnessed the destruction from close range, shakily pushed herself to her feet. Moonlight illuminated her trembling form.

"It’s you," she cried out. "It has to be you! My father told me about you—Lyra Shedd!"

She fell to her knees, desperation plain on her face. "Please! Save the children!"

Her father had once spoken of someone in the Alliance—a healer with extraordinary abilities—who might be able to treat the afflicted children.

After Lyra’s name became renowned in the war, Serena had investigated and discovered her healing techniques were unparalleled.

"I’ll do anything you want! Just please, help them!" Serena pleaded.

Lyra stood silent, her gaze fixed on Serena’s pleading face.

Before she could respond, the sounds of battle erupted below. The townspeople were rising up in rebellion.

Tracy burst in, lugging a small cannon, and kicked down what was left of the door. "Serena!"

Lucian and the others rushed in behind her. When they saw Serena bloodied and battered, fury consumed them.

Lucian charged at Jerome. "You monster! I’ll kill you!"

Jerome, already rattled by Lyra’s presence, was blindsided by the sudden defiance of those he had long oppressed. Snarling, he prepared to unleash his full strength. But before he could act, Lyra’s blade flashed.

In an instant, his hands—blackened and unnatural—were severed. A wave of icy frost spread from the wound, freezing him in place.

Lucian roared and brought his axe down on Jerome’s skull, cleaving it in two with the force of years of pent-up rage. To Lucian, it felt like toppling a hated monument.

Moments later, Phelixes arrived. "Sis, it’s time to go."

Lyra nodded and secured a space flyer.

"Rear Admiral Shedd! Wait!" A man equipped with a jetpack flew toward them. "Please, take me with you!"

Phelixes raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"

The man saluted sharply. "I’m Scarvoci of the Legion of Flaring Stars, D19 Division, Ma’am. I’ve just completed a covert operation!"

Lyra faintly remembered him—he’d served under Cohen’s command. It wasn’t hard to deduce that Imperial forces had been pursuing him.

She returned the salute briskly. "Come."

The three of them boarded the flyer.

"Rear Admiral Shedd!" Serena screamed desperately as the flyer began to ascend. She clung to the remnants of a wall, still warm from the blast. "Please, save the children! Our nations are against each other, but the children are innocent!"

The flyer vanished into the night sky.

Serena crumpled to the ground, her strength drained. "If I’d known she was Lyra, I would’ve offered something else..."

Even in her despair, she felt no hatred toward Lyra. After all, Lyra owed them nothing.

Under the moonlight, a faint green glow lingered in the air, stubbornly refusing to dissipate.

Tracy’s opticomputer buzzed with an incoming message. She opened it and let out a relieved sigh as she scanned the update about the children’s rescue. "Serena, let’s head down. The kids have been saved."

Serena, still dazed, looked up at Tracy, who stood smiling warmly alongside Lucian and the others.

Confused, Serena asked, "Why are you helping me?"

As far as she remembered, they couldn’t stand her.

Tracy stepped closer, grinning, and slapped Serena on the shoulder. "You idiot. Do you really think your orphanage would’ve lasted this long if we didn’t have your back?"

The discounted food, the cheap rent—it had all been their way of showing support. They had warned her countless times not to get too entangled with Jerome, but because she was marked by him, there had been limits to what they could do.

Lucian chuckled. "If we really hated you, do you think we’d have paid extra to use that busted treatment device of yours?"

"Thank you..." Serena’s lips trembled as she tried to smile, but the wave of emotions overwhelmed her.

The sight of her struggling to hold back tears visibly moved the group, their eyes glistening in the green-tinged light.

Tracy smacked her shoulder again, this time with more impatience. "Go back and thank us properly."

The slap startled Serena out of her melancholy. "Tracy! I’m still injured!"

Tracy paused, her expression shifting to shock as she carefully looked Serena over. "Wait... your injuries... they’re gone!"

The group glanced at each other, slowly realizing that their own wounds from the earlier fight had mysteriously healed as well.

Serena’s eyes sparkled with sudden hope. "I need to check on the kids!"

With the elevator destroyed, she hopped onto a hoverboard and sped down to the square outside the ruined building.

The rescued children, ranging in age from ten to just three, were gathered there, their small forms illuminated by the eerie green glow.

As Serena approached, they ran to her with open arms.

"Serena!"

"Are we really safe now?"

"My body doesn’t hurt anymore!"

Serena, a skilled healer and doctor, quickly examined each child. To her amazement, they were all completely healthy.

Tears of joy streamed down her face as she knelt among them.

Turning toward the sky, where Lyra had disappeared, Serena shouted with all the gratitude her heart could muster, "Thank you!"

Afterward, the group escorted the children back to the orphanage, determined to begin rebuilding their shattered town.

It wasn’t until the group returned that the green glow in the sky finally began to fade.

Suddenly, an enormous interdimensional portal tore open in the heavens, gaping like the maw of a colossal beast.

From its depths emerged a man in a dark military uniform, his long silver hair shimmering under the faint moonlight.

"Where are they?" His icy blue eyes scanned the gathered townsfolk.

Everyone shuddered in unison. This was Iskandor, the Empire’s Fleet Admiral.

Summoning her courage, Tracy stepped forward. "They... ran."

Thankfully, Iskandor said no more. With a single wave of his hand, he led his forces in pursuit.

...

Meanwhile, Lyra, Phelixes, and Scarvoci had reached the edge of space. Their space flyer strained under the load after they replaced its energy core with high-purity energy stones, propelling it to maximum speed.

Lyra sat in the co-pilot seat, her eyes shut, until they suddenly snapped open. She turned to Scarvoci. "No matter what happens, keep your hands on the controls."

"Yes, ma’am!" Scarvoci replied, stealing a glance at Lyra as she stood up, now dressed in a sleek light mecha and armed with a superpowered-enhanced rifle.

Her composed demeanor settled his nerves. Lyra was a legend. If she couldn’t lead them to safety, there was no hope left.

In that case, Scarvoci thought grimly, he’d rather die fighting.

Lyra stepped onto the flyer’s upper platform, leaving the craft below. She stood tall against the infinite darkness of space, a solitary figure defying the void.

All around them, countless interdimensional portals opened like a constellation of ominous, unblinking eyes fixed on their vessel.

Lyra swiftly deployed light shields, intercepting one portal after another.

Each time she neutralized a threat, more portals appeared. Suddenly, one of her shields shattered.

From the ruptured portal stepped a silver-haired man. Lyra’s sharp brows furrowed at the sight of him. His entire being radiated a density of superpower particles unlike anything she had ever encountered among the Supremes.

This was Iskandor, the Empire’s Fleet Admiral. His unparalleled ability, "the Absolute," made him a terrifying force.

Though the vacuum of space swallowed all sound, two words echoed unmistakably in the minds of everyone present: "Stop now."

Instantly, both Scarvoci and Phelixes froze, their bodies locked in place, unable to move a single muscle.