Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 336: Just Kill Them

Chapter 336: Just Kill Them

No one could have foreseen that the Empire and the Alliance, who had been fierce adversaries until recently, would reconcile and join forces to confront a shared threat.

Lyra accompanied Dessel and Leandro to the spaceport to welcome the Empire’s admiral, Iskandor. The area buzzed with activity—flashing cameras, recording devices, and fame-hungry influencers livestreaming the event, oblivious to the looming danger.

Behind the scenes, the Alliance had stationed Lynn nearby, ready to act if Iskandor made any sudden moves.

Lyra, too, was under strict orders to intervene if necessary. If these powerhouses clashed, few among the gathered crowd would survive the fallout.

"Welcome to Elden Prime’s Central City, home of the Alliance," the cheerful broadcast rang out.

Dessel’s cordial smile and Leandro’s striking elegance captivated onlookers, but Lyra’s silent presence dominated the scene, impossible to ignore.

The Empire’s generals stiffened at the sight of her, memories of her battlefield ferocity flashing in their minds.

Only Iskandor remained composed, his expression unreadable as he shook hands with Dessel, Leandro, and finally Lyra. "Thank you for your hospitality," he said in a flat tone.

Dessel replied with a mild smile. "Well, we’re all human, aren’t we? Without the Empire’s discovery of the Stellar Devourers’ nature, we might not have acted in time."

On the surface, the words were polite, but the subtext was sharp. Dessel was subtly blaming the Empire for unleashing chaos and now expecting the Alliance to fix it.

The Alliance’s message was clear: they were willing to cooperate but wouldn’t conceal their disdain. The Empire had come seeking help, and not being turned away was mercy enough.

Lyra caught the stiff expressions on the Empire’s delegation and smirked inwardly. It was no coincidence that Dessel had been chosen to greet them; his sharp tongue was a deliberate barb.

As the Empire’s group entered the area, the atmosphere began to shift. The air grew noticeably hotter, and waves of heat radiated outward, distorting the surroundings.

Spectators, now drenched in sweat, fanned themselves and muttered in confusion.

"Why’s it so hot all of a sudden?"

"Did the Aegis Shield’s temperature controls fail?"

"No way—there would’ve been an alert if that happened."

Lyra’s eyes locked onto an old man with gold-and-red hair standing behind Iskandor. Heatwaves rippled continuously from him, distorting the air.

This wasn’t a malfunction—it was his superpower. Without even consciously exerting his abilities, he was creating a localized climate anomaly.

This man was an Overarching Peculiar—the same Overarching who had dragged her into a black hole three years earlier.

Sensing her gaze, the gold-and-red-haired Vern let out a short, disdainful snort. Though brief, it thundered across the spaceport, unleashing a surge of superpower energy that rippled through Elden Prime.

Even Dessel staggered slightly, momentarily disoriented, and Lynn, hidden nearby, froze for a split second.

Lyra, however, stood unmoved, her gaze steady as she looked away.

’A human wielding this level of power? Incredible,’ she thought coldly.

Vern’s golden-red eyes flickered in surprise, the faint astonishment vanishing quickly as he composed himself.

...

This meeting was far from a typical diplomatic event, so the Empire’s delegation bypassed the formalities of staying at an official guest hotel.

Instead, they proceeded directly to the Alliance Military Council building.

Frederick and the other Alliance leaders were already gathered. When the two groups faced each other, the air bristled with tension.

The animosity between these old enemies was palpable, but with the Stellar Devourers threatening extinction, they managed to suppress their grudges—at least for now—and sit down to plan humanity’s survival.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was undeniably strange. Only recently, these two factions had been locked in brutal combat, trying to destroy one another. Now, they sat around the same table, drinking from the same cups and sharing the same water.

"We have devices capable of detecting black holes in advance," an Alliance representative began, "but if the enemy launches a large-scale invasion, those warnings won’t matter much. Does the Empire have any additional measures?"

"If we had such measures, we wouldn’t have come to the Alliance seeking refuge," Iskandor replied. Realizing he couldn’t afford to be evasive, he continued, "Our immediate priority isn’t just to fight back but also to ensure supplies and transport are prepared. We need to be ready to evacuate on short notice."

There was no room left for politeness. Frederick cut directly to the heart of the matter. "The Empire seems to have stockpiled evacuation supplies and ships long before this crisis. Did you learn of the Stellar Devourers’ plans far in advance?"

The Empire’s generals exchanged uneasy glances. Under Iskandor’s absolute authority, decisions were centralized. If the spaceports had been pre-stocked with resources, it could only mean that he had foreseen this long ago.

Iskandor’s expression remained composed. Calmly, he said, "The moment we allied with the Stellar Devourers, we knew we were making a deal with the devil. I prepared for betrayal from the start."

His reasoning seemed logical, but the meticulousness of his preparations struck some as suspiciously thorough.

Frederick and the other Alliance leaders couldn’t help entertaining the possibility that Iskandor was a plant for the Stellar Devourers—or that this entire situation was an elaborate ruse by the Empire and the Devourers.

But the devastating state of the Empire’s planets made such theories seem improbable. The Empire’s resource-rich worlds were far more valuable than anything in the Alliance; surrendering them was illogical.

"The only effective weapon we have is Rear Admiral Shedd," Frederick said at last. "Does the Empire have anyone besides Admiral Iskandor capable of fighting the Stellar Devourers?"

"Not even I can do that," Iskandor admitted bluntly, his gaze meeting Frederick’s. "While I can manipulate black holes, I’m only an experimental subject. Westros can sever my connection to them at any time, and there’s always the risk of the black holes turning against me."

He spoke with disarming honesty about his limitations, leaving the Empire generals visibly uneasy, their pride stung.

Meanwhile, the Alliance delegates regarded him with cautious curiosity.

Slowly, every gaze in the room turned to Lyra.

She sat unperturbed, her composure unnerving even the boldest in attendance. When she finally lifted her eyes, the intensity of her gaze made several people instinctively look away.

"If no one has a better plan, then we’ll prepare to fight and evacuate simultaneously," Lyra said, leaning back slightly in her chair. "When the Stellar Devourers appear, I’ll lead the Legion of Everglow into battle."

"Do you have a strategy in mind?" Frederick asked cautiously.

The question seemed strange to some in the room. ’isn’t Lyra herself the strategy?’

"Just kill them," Lyra replied, her tone matter-of-fact.

In the end, the so-called strategy session achieved little more than empty deliberation.

Lyra knew this all too well. No matter what was discussed, the conclusion was inevitable—they would send her to the frontlines.