Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 54: Competition

Chapter 54: Competition

"...We were attacked by the military forces on Planet Nagano!"

On the other side of the call, Bengal was hiding in a cramped shack. He had bandages covering his head, his body charred and blackened. He looked both beaten and fierce.

Blackheart leaped up from his bed, "Damn it, what did you do? You were supposed to keep an eye on Lyra. How did you end up fighting the military?"

"It’s Sis Marv! She teamed up with the Whyte family!"

Blackheart smashed his fist into the glass, shattering it. "I knew that b*tch was trouble."

After thinking for a long time, he decided the best plan was to break Lyra’s legs and imprison her, "I’ll send more people. Find a way to capture her."

Liliana, who had been lying on the bed, opened her eyes briefly but closed them again when Blackheart returned.

In the end, however, she couldn’t escape her fate.

Blackheart sat on top of her, slapping her face hard, the sound echoing in the night.

"If you hadn’t let her escape, I wouldn’t have to deal with this!"

"Daddy, please don’t hit me, I’m sorry... Ah—"

Voidstar No.2 settlement was small, and Blackheart’s gang’s actions quickly caught the attention of the merchants.

"Should we send someone?" Todd asked, holding a folder.

Snakehead was on the balcony, smoking, a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "Send someone? To help her or to catch her?"

"If Sis Marv falls into Blackheart’s hands..."

Their business would be ruined.

"Blackheart better have the skills for that." Snakehead stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, looking at the rising star, "You all underestimate that young woman."

Todd didn’t understand why the boss had so much faith in Lyra, but he didn’t argue, "Should we warn her?"

"Up to you."

The fire at Voidstar hadn’t reached Lyra yet. At 7:30 in the morning on Planet Nagano, the students of the Department of Strategy and Commanding gathered at the arena on time.

The young, energetic students wore their training uniforms, standing straight like poplar trees, full of spirit.

There was still some time before the lineup, and everyone was buzzing about the competition, the referees, the rules... mostly things they’d heard from elder students or read on the school forum.

"Lyra! How could you do that?"

A sudden voice cut through the chatter. Taryn had stayed up all night, her eyes red and bloodshot.

Everyone stopped talking and turned to look, curious and wary of her fierce demeanor.

Taryn rushed from the door to Lyra, reaching out to grab her, but Zinnia quickly pushed her away.

"What are you doing?"

"Move, it’s none of your business!" Taryn sidestepped, aggressively questioning Lyra, "Did you set my sister up? Did you team up with the school to harm her?"

This seemed like a deep-seated grudge. The crowd watched with interest.

Not far away, Jorath sneered. ’Idiot.’

"Is your sister Kylie Chilla? The one who blackmailed me for two hundred thousand?"

The mention of Kylie’s name caused a ripple of realization among the students. Everyone remembered that name from the school website, and they looked at Taryn with disdain.

Taryn’s face contorted with anger and distress as tears streamed down. "Lair! My sister would never do that. You set her up!"

"Enough!" Webber’s voice cut through the tension as he entered with other instructors.

The students quickly lined up. Class Five did the same, leaving Taryn surrounded by contemptuous and disgusted looks, making her feel humiliated and angry.

As they stood in line, Lyra stopped beside Taryn and whispered sarcastically, "If your sister hadn’t stood up for you, she wouldn’t have crossed my path."

"You..."

Lyra grabbed Taryn’s raised hand and applied pressure. The sound of bones dislocating was audible.

"I got rid of your sister, and I can get rid of you too. So, you better be smart."

Whether it was the pain or Lyra’s cold eyes, Taryn’s face turned pale. She returned to the line, feeling like a walking corpse.

The instructor’s speech seemed distant and dreamlike. She looked down and saw her hand turning a pale blue, trembling slightly.

That moment haunted her dreams for the rest of her life.

The pre-training had ended, and now it was time to test the overall strength of each class.

The first round of single-elimination matches was about to begin. Winning a match earned one point; losing earned none. The final score was based on the class’s total points.

Everyone was excited, especially Zinnia.

"This is thrilling!"

Lyra sat cross-legged next to her, feeling the superpower particles vibrating around. They were in the fighting arena with five mats laid out in front of them, each class sitting around watching. The atmosphere was cheerful but tense.

The five instructors, serving as referees, took their positions. The head instructor sat on a high chair, holding a microphone.

"Now, the first round of elimination matches will begin. When you see your name on the screen, enter the arena."

The order was random, and when the first group went up, a few people were trembling with fear.

Mandy clutched her ankle tightly, constantly glancing at Lyra beside her, trying to draw courage. ’Mandy, you can do it.’

"Do you want to talk to her again?" Vivian, unusually concerned today, even gave her a push.

Strangely, Mandy relaxed a bit with the push. "Are you in a bad mood?"

Vivian, two people away, glared at Lyra and sneered, "Of course, I’m not in a good mood."

Vivian’s burning anger left Mandy unsure how to respond, so she focused on watching the match.

One group after another cycled through the five mats ahead, but some stood out memorably.

Thierry from Class One, Zinnia, Sharon from Class Two, and Vikie from Class Three made quite the impression.

Then there were those like Vivian, who caught everyone’s eye with her stunning beauty.

Near the end, Lyra’s name finally appeared on the screen.

By then, most people were feeling overwhelmed by the endless matches.

Just then, a petite girl with a buzz cut, looking as small as a middle schooler, stepped up, instantly grabbing everyone’s attention.

Whispers broke out immediately.

"Isn’t she the healer from Class One? My gosh, she’s so adorable, but why does she have a buzz cut?"

"Yeah, the one who led her group to first place in the field training."

"I heard her teammates were eliminated in the first round."

"How did they get first place then? Did the instructor go easy on them?"

Even with her cold expression, her appearance made people mistakenly think she was harmless, including her opponent.

"Um, I’ll be careful," said the tall boy from Class Three, blushing as he tried to comfort her, "Don’t be afraid."