Interstellar Beast Master

Chapter 85: Wanted! III

Shells.

Energy pulses.

Unstable Entropic Blasts.

Attacks came from all directions, thundering toward Damian. He stood still, arm raised, radiating a silver brilliance for a single breath...and then flickered out of existence.

He vanished into the storm of oncoming attacks, his body absorbing the impact of the first few that struck him. Moments later, he reappeared away from the focal point of the barrage. After going invisible, he simply began walking, calmly, watching as an empty plot of land was utterly obliterated by the Enforcers’ relentless assault.

He could have borrowed Kitsuul’s terrifying energy to phase through the attacks, but he hadn’t even needed to. They weren’t strong enough to concern him.

His eyes remained cold as he scanned the faces of Enforcer Commander Elizabeth and the many others spread throughout the region.

They hadn’t participated in the Guardians’ crimes directly, but they hadn’t done anything to stop them either.

Still, he wouldn’t go on a rampage. At least these Enforcers weren’t corrupted by the same arrogant, delusional pride that had driven the Masked Guardians to massacre Stackborn civilians.

Masked Guardians.

His rage didn’t flare. It simmered, steady and contained, as he felt a rare sense of release. For the first time, he had the capability to deal with murderous Guardians.

He felt no guilt. Man or woman, it didn’t matter. They had donned masks and slaughtered innocent people.

They weren’t human anymore.

Their minds had been twisted by something else entirely, and since no one else would hold them accountable, he would.

He would be their Judge.

Their Executioner.

The exhilaration rising in his mind was undeniable. He didn’t know what would come next, how the world would respond to what had happened or what he had done.

But that could wait.

For now, he made his silent return toward the Rustblood Circuit Arena.

Its ceiling had been torn apart by the overwhelming power of a Masked Guardian. Yet another structure decimated in today’s chaos. It only took Damian a few minutes to reach the area, and when he did, he saw it was empty. Anastasia and Serena were gone.

He followed Kitsuul’s energy signature.

He passed through crowds of injured Stackborn, those helping the wounded, moving rubble, or simply holding each other amidst the destruction. The entire Hollow Stacks buzzed with frantic energy. But the people helped each other. More than anything, they had each other.

Damian’s path led him to a small warehouse tucked between two towering buildings. His invisible body shimmered with silver light as he drew on Kitsuul’s power and attempted to phase through the wall.

The sensation was bizarre. Foreign.

He started with his hand, watching the silver waves shimmer around it as it became both real and unreal at once. Then, without hesitation, he passed the rest of his body through.

The solid wall didn’t stop him.

His body passed through as if reality itself had been altered.

Phasing.

A terrifying ability.

Once inside...

"Master~"

A sharp voice rang out just before a small figure launched into his arms. It was Kitsuul, now in her First Form: a silver fox with nine flowing tails. She nestled against his chest, soothing him as if she could feel the storm inside. He stroked her fur as he felt slightly more at ease.

The warehouse held crates of unknown materials and supplies. At its center, multiple laptops glowed with data. Anastasia sat in front of them, turning her head to meet his gaze.

Beside her stood Serena, mask off, face pale and eyes wide.

The three stared at one another in silence for a few seconds.

Then Anastasia spoke.

"You did good."

...!

Three simple words. And yet they felt shocking.

Serena shook her head in disbelief, turning to Anastasia as if she were staring at a stranger.

"He did good?! You... he just killed five Guardians!"

Her voice cracked, as if she were reminding them, reminding herself, of what had just occurred.

But Anastasia merely tilted her head, voice colder now.

"And so what? Those same Guardians just slaughtered hundreds. The final death toll hasn’t even been confirmed."

...!

Serena fell quiet. She had no rebuttal.

Her eyes wavered, filled with conflict. She knew what had happened. She knew how everything had played out, but the sheer weight of it was almost too much to process.

"Guardian Dawn. Guardian Theresa." Anastasia spoke softly. "It’s a little disappointing that the masks of the other three weren’t recovered, but do you know what they’re saying right now?"

She beckoned Damian closer and pointed to the laptops.

On one screen, a video played.

It showed him, silver light radiating from his body, long coat fluttering, mask obscuring every part of his face. Even the ZENTHRA suit beneath was concealed.

Then he heard his own voice.

"Guardians... never face judgment."

HUUM!

"I... will be their Judge!"

...!

The declarations felt even grander now, echoing from the speakers as Anastasia pointed to the screen.

The video’s title glowed:

[The Judge, the Guardian of the Hollow Stacks!]

The Judge.

The video had already amassed over two million views in mere minutes.

Anastasia tapped a few keys and continued.

"Every single Stackborn is furious. Raging. The death toll is catastrophic. They killed indiscriminately, as if we aren’t even human. But now, right now, online... everyone is watching the masked man who took justice into his own hands. Not Skyglass Heights. Not bureaucracy. Him. They’re calling him the Judge. The Guardian of the Hollow Stacks. And the support is overwhelming after this Terror Attack from Guardians of Skyglass Heights."

...!

The Guardian of the Hollow Stacks.

That was the name others had given him. It didn’t matter much to Damian.

His eyes continued scanning the information displayed on the screens before him. He spared a sidelong glance at Serena, who stood nearby, looking anxious.

Then he spoke.

"You do know that in the arena, Guardian Dawn had turned his head toward you, me, and Anastasia. After he finished killing the Vagrant Beast Masters, he would’ve come for us too, if we couldn’t defend ourselves."

...!

He was reminding her of what had happened.

Telling her, without sugarcoating, that...

"Just because you happened to be in the Hollow Stacks today, the Masked Guardians labeled you a Vagrant Beast Master. They would have killed you the same as the rest of us. These are the Guardians out there. And your father... he’s one of them."

...!

His words struck something in her.

Her eyes, which had been clouded with conflicted emotions, gradually steadied. The storm inside her began to settle, her gaze regaining focus and clarity.

It was as if the mention of her father’s name sparked something deep within her, a rekindling of rage, a snapping into awareness.

"Okay."

She nodded, turning to face both Damian and Anastasia. From her body, the Void Serpent slithered out, wrapping itself around her head like a crown.

"Okay, to what we were talking about before. You just killed five Guardians like it was nothing. I still don’t know the full extent of your power, but... if you can help me take down Valentine Bateman... I’ll do anything you want."

...!

Serena.

The Serpent Queen.

Trial Guardian of ZENTHRA.

In that moment, she stood utterly committed, willing to give everything to accomplish her goal.