Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 87: Beast Swarm

Chapter 87: Beast Swarm

To Zorion, Lyra was trying too hard. If she really was Erin’s cousin Lyra, he might have given her more credit. But in his eyes, she was just a clone—a knock-off.

Zorion sneered, "I assigned you with a mission and you didn’t seem to care the least about our Legion Skywalkers. And now you’re screaming and yelling, asking them to come back?"

He didn’t buy her act. Yet, the soldiers from Legion Glory, sensing something, quietly went into the tent and woke Kogar. "Lyra might’ve found something important," the Soldier whispered.

Kogar, well aware of Lyra’s capabilities, jumped to his feet and rushed out. "Lyra, what did you find?"

"There’s a massive tremor, about thirty miles out. We’re in serious danger," she said, her tone dead serious. But Zorion just laughed, dismissing her.

"Who do you think you are? Thirty miles away? Really?"

But Kogar wasn’t as skeptical. He immediately got in touch with his men who were patrolling up north. "Anything unusual to report?"

The voice on the other end was tense. "Yeah, we’re picking up strong tremors. Drone footage shows a massive beast swarm heading this way!"

Within moments, Zorion received a similar report from his own patrols. "There’s a big beast swarm coming up from the south!"

His expression turned grim.

Kogar wasted no time. He ordered his men to return right away and got everyone up, preparing for a hasty departure.

Thankfully, they’d already packed most of their gear. They didn’t even bother with the tents—once the patrol team returned, they were ready to move out.

The tremors underfoot were getting worse, making it feel like they were already driving on rough terrain.

"Where to?!" The driver’s hand was trembling as he gripped the power lever.

"Back to base, obviously!" Zorion shouted, clutching the safety handle beside him.

Their base was on a plateau to the west, the perfect spot to face down a beast swarm.

"No!" Lyra cut in sharply. "The swarm’s already gathering to the west and moving in our direction. We can’t go that way!"

Zorion’s temper flared, and he was about to blow up at her, but drone footage backed her up.

Finally, the highest-ranking officer, Commander Phillip, stepped in. "We’re heading to Mine No. 7 to the east. At least we know the terrain there."

Kogar trusted Phillip’s judgment. He knew he was more familiar with the area and didn’t argue.

The vehicles roared to life, pushing forward as fast as they could. A robot led the way, smashing through anything in their path.

The ride was brutal, shaking them all to the core. But no one could afford to lose focus as they watched the patrol team struggle to return.

A few flying beasts, faster than the rest, had already reached them. The patrol made it back, but not without injuries.

The sight of blood sent a chill through everyone.

Kogar kept his cool. "Where’s the med-kit?"

They couldn’t afford to lose any more fighters—they were already short-handed.

"It’s in the tech vehicle up front."

"I’ll handle it."

A girl, quiet up until now, unbuckled her seatbelt. Her hands glowed with healing power as she moved from one injured person to the next.

Zorion rolled his eyes. ’Typical. That’s all she was good for.’

While Legion Glory’s members appreciated the help, Legion Skywalkers’s soldiers felt a mix of gratitude and unease as they muttered, "Thanks."

Lyra, still focused on her task, simply replied, "No problem."

The vehicle’s rough ride indicated the reality that the beast swarm was closing in fast.

The sharp cries of flying beasts pierced the air. Outside, the darkness was impenetrable, making it feel like the creatures were all around them, their lives hanging by a thread.

The sounds grew louder.

Phillip Commander swore under his breath. "F*ck! Get ready to fight!"

The large armored vehicle lowered its ramp, and one by one, the smaller off-road vehicles rolled out, ready to face whatever was coming.

Even though Lyra and Kail were much stronger than regular soldiers, the soldiers’ duty to protect them meant they would never let these young people sacrifice themselves.

The vehicle’s door closed.

There were still a few technicians inside the vehicle. After the soldiers left, the technicians turned pale. "Who’s going to protect us?" they asked.

The only response was the increasingly loud roars coming from outside.

Lyra dragged a box of particle guns to the lift platform in the vehicle. She opened a hatch, and then stepped onto the lift, half of her body sticking out.

Seeing this, Kail followed suit.

When he saw the scene outside, he gasped—a massive swarm of flying beasts was chasing them. Feathered birds and furred mammals, noisy under the serene moonlight, cast countless shadows on the ground.

The beasts quickly noticed the "intruders" running on the ground and flapped their wings to chase after them.

"Fire!" Kogar shouted as he piloted his mecha, activating the thrusters on his back to fly up and confront a level-six beast.

A level-six beast was certainly the leader of a mid-level group. Killing it would greatly reduce the pressure on them.

Zorion and Phillip did the same, each taking on the leaders of different groups, while the soldiers on the ground focused on protecting the armored vehicle from attacks.

It was a chaotic battle.

The humans were clearly at a disadvantage. From above, the dense beast swarm almost completely obscured their figures.

As they fought fiercely, a sudden whirlwind broke through the defense line and rushed toward the armored vehicle.

Lyra calmly pulled the trigger, and a pale blue beam instantly pierced through the head of the beast that had revealed itself.

As that gun recharged, she picked up another and fired again.

She cycled through five guns like this, each time accurately taking down a beast.

Kail, standing nearby, was stunned by her calm and efficient shooting, and his own aim faltered. Suddenly, Lyra pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger without warning.

A beast immediately dropped to the ground behind him, its camouflage disabled.

The impact of its wings hitting the vehicle startled everyone inside.

Someone, trying to muster courage, asked Lyra, "Wha-what just happened?"

She didn’t answer. When that person tried to approach her, she shot them a glare, "Don’t bother me."

Just then, she suddenly pushed Kail’s head down. A sharp whistling sound cut through the air, so loud it hurt their ears—a beast landed on the cockpit. It was about two meters long, with a wingspan of nearly six meters, resembling a giant bat.

A level-five beast.

Its thick tail swayed in front of the windshield, and the two drivers in the cockpit were so scared they held back their screams, their hands shaking but not daring to let go of the controls.

"Stay calm," Lyra’s voice came through the headset. "Thirty seconds."

"Y-yes..."

The beast had never seen such strange humans and vehicles before. It curiously looked around and suddenly thrust one of its claws into the cockpit.

The entire vehicle shook violently.

Lyra fixed her gaze on the beast. "I’ll attack first. You aim at the top."

Kail clenched his fist, "Got it."

In an instant, green energy bands shot toward the cockpit, forcing the beast to flap its wings and rise into the air. It opened its mouth to spit a fireball, but a green barrier blocked it.

Kail raised his hand, summoning a thundercloud and suddenly called down a lightning bolt.

But the beast was astonishingly fast—it vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Keep going," Lyra ordered.

Several green energy bands swiftly lifted the fully charged particle guns, and a stream of bullets fired into the sky.

Kail quickly regained his focus, dropping lightning bolts wherever Lyra’s guns pointed.

Finally, a scream echoed.

They hit it!

Lyra didn’t stop. With a gun in each hand, she fired repeatedly into the air until the beast, its head riddled with holes, appeared and fell to the ground.