Chapter 194: Black Anvil
The midday sun of Ignis Prime reached its absolute zenith, casting a warm and incredibly comforting light over the reformed landscape, and the Frost Legion stood in perfect, unyielding formation across the newly expanded obsidian courtyard.
Zara’s Sand Wyrm cavalry looked exceptionally terrifying in their newly forged star-iron barding, the heavy dark plating absorbing the golden sunlight rather than reflecting it, and the massive black warhorses stamped their hooves with eager anticipation while their riders checked the balance of their flawless phalanx shields.
"I have to admit, Kai, your magical forging ruined my appreciation for normal blacksmiths," Zara called out from the back of her towering stallion, running a gloved hand appreciatively over the thick neck armor of her mount. "This plating is lighter than leather but stronger than a dreadnought hull, and I am fairly certain my vanguard could charge straight through a small moon if you ordered us to do so."
"Please refrain from charging into any moons today, Grand Marshal, because we are here to negotiate, and destroying local celestial bodies tends to ruin the diplomatic mood," Kai replied smoothly, walking out of the central pavilion with Yena right beside him. "We are walking into a lawless territory filled with cutthroats, smugglers, and exiled warlords, so I want everyone to keep their weapons sheathed until I specifically say otherwise."
"They are pirates, Kai, meaning they are probably going to shoot at us the moment we step through the portal," Yena pointed out logically, her amber eyes scanning the disciplined ranks of the Star-Forged veterans who were calmly awaiting their orders. "How exactly are we planning to survive the cold vacuum of space, considering most of our army relies on breathing oxygen?"
"The System is incredibly thorough when it comes to keeping my subjects alive, and the ambient ’Frost-Bark’ shielding automatically adapts to severe environmental hazards," Kai explained calmly, raising his hand to summon a soft, glowing blue system panel into the cool air. "It will provide a localized, breathable atmosphere and pressure stabilization for every single soldier, so you do not need to worry about anyone suffocating while we tour the asteroid belt."
Kai focused his sovereign intent, tapping directly into the limitless cosmic energy flowing through his Level 66 core, and he effortlessly tore a massive rift in the fabric of space directly above the polished courtyard.
The portal expanded rapidly, revealing a chaotic, swirling expanse of deep space filled with massive chunks of floating grey rock and derelict ship debris, and the faint, glowing neon lights of a sprawling, heavily fortified pirate station could be seen anchoring the chaotic mess together.
"The Black Anvil," Kai stated softly, looking up at the sprawling mess of welded iron and stolen technology that served as the primary trading hub for the Corsair’s Belt. "It is a wretched hive of villainy, and it lacks any sort of basic architectural elegance, but it holds exactly what we need, so let us go introduce the criminal underworld to the Winter King."
He stepped gracefully off the ground and walked directly up an invisible staircase of pure frost, ascending into the swirling portal with Yena walking flawlessly at his side, and the heavy, synchronized marching steps of the Frost Legion immediately followed them into the starry void.
The transition was instantaneous, and the moment they stepped out of the portal, they were completely surrounded by the vast, breathtaking emptiness of deep space, but the absolute zero vacuum did not bother them at all.
A soft, glowing blue aura enveloped the entire army, providing perfect artificial gravity and warm, breathable air, and they simply marched across a wide bridge of solid ice that Kai casually manifested to connect their gateway directly to the main docking bay of the massive pirate station.
Zara’s warhorses snorted in mild confusion as they stepped onto the ice bridge, but they quickly realized the footing was incredibly secure, and they followed the Star-Forged giants toward the massive iron platforms floating in the void.
"This entire station is held together by rust and sheer desperation, my King," Kaelen rumbled deeply, his silver eyes judging the crude engineering of the massive pirate hub as they approached. "The structural integrity is completely compromised, and a single heavy siege strike from my halberd would shatter this entire construct into a million floating pieces."
"Which is exactly why we are walking softly, Kaelen, because we want to buy their ships, and we cannot do that if we sweep their frozen corpses into the void," Kai chuckled softly, leading the procession directly onto the heavy steel plating of the primary docking bay.
The massive bay was an absolute chaotic mess of welded cruiser hulls and stolen orbital defense cannons, and the sprawling platform was currently filled with heavily armed smugglers who were staring at the incoming army in absolute, unadulterated horror.
"Who in the abyss are you, and how are you walking in space without suits!?" a massive, heavily scarred pirate captain bellowed from the edge of the docking bay, raising a illegal plasma repeater and aiming it directly at Kai’s chest. "This is sovereign pirate territory, you glowing freak, and you need to pay the toll if you want to dock your forces here!"
"I am the Cosmic Sovereign, and I do not pay tolls to men who steal their ships from junkyards," Kai replied calmly, his voice echoing perfectly through the vacuum of space via the ambient mana of his domain, and he did not even break his relaxed stride as he approached the terrified pirate. "I am looking for the Pirate Lord who commands this station, because I have a very lucrative business proposition for him, and I would appreciate it if you went and fetched him before my Grand Marshal gets bored."
"You do not give orders here, pretty boy!" the pirate captain roared, his finger tightening nervously on the trigger of his heavy weapon while a dozen of his crewmates rushed forward to back him up, raising an assortment of rusty blades and stolen blasters. "Lord Malakor does not speak to random cult leaders, and we are going to strip that fancy armor off your giant friends and sell it for scrap!"
"He is definitely going to shoot, Kai," Yena sighed softly, shaking her head in mild disappointment while she casually spun her super-cooled obsidian spear in her hand. "Do I have permission to teach him some basic manners, or are we still pretending this is a peaceful diplomatic mission?"
"You may instruct him, Chief Enforcer, but please try not to break his jaw, because I still need someone to deliver my message," Kai offered a slow, highly amused smile, stepping back slightly to give her room to work.
The pirate captain sneered and pulled the trigger, unleashing a torrent of hyper-heated plasma bolts, but Yena simply moved with blinding, impossible speed, stepping effortlessly through the deadly barrage while her glowing blue shield absorbed the impacts without a single scratch.
She closed the distance in a fraction of a second, driving the blunt shaft of her super-cooled spear directly into the center of the captain’s chest piece, forcefully knocking the breath from his lungs and sending him crashing heavily to the steel floor.
His crewmates shouted in anger and charged forward, but Yena did not even draw her blade, humiliating the hardened criminals by effortlessly sweeping their legs and knocking them unconscious with precise, brutal strikes from the butt of her weapon.
In less than ten seconds, the entire welcoming committee was groaning on the cold floor of the docking bay, and Yena stood calmly over the gasping pirate captain, resting the chilling tip of her spear gently against his throat.
"Your hospitality is terrible, and your combat skills are absolutely embarrassing," Yena informed the terrified man coldly, her amber eyes narrowing as the pirate stared up at her in total defeat. "Now, you are going to stand up slowly, you are going to walk into that station, and you are going to tell Lord Malakor that the Winter King is here to buy his fleet. If you hesitate, or if you attempt to point another weapon at my Sovereign, I will freeze your blood in your veins. Do you understand?"
The pirate captain nodded frantically, his eyes wide with pure panic, and he scrambled backward the moment Yena lifted her spear, turning and running desperately toward the heavy blast doors leading into the station’s interior while leaving his unconscious crewmates behind.
"That was highly efficient, Yena, and you barely even wrinkled your uniform," Kai noted softly, offering her an appreciative look as the Frost Legion proudly marched into the docking bay behind them, their heavy boots echoing ominously across the cavernous space. "Though I suspect Lord Malakor is going to be incredibly upset when he hears that his front door guards were defeated in ten seconds by a single woman wielding a stick."
"It is a very nice stick, Kai, and it is made of super-cooled obsidian," Yena corrected him with a bright, entirely fearless smile, falling perfectly back into step beside him while she casually tapped the bottom of her spear against the steel deck. "Besides, if this Pirate Lord wants to be taken seriously as a potential employee, he is going to need to offer us a much better challenge than this."
"I am sure he will try his absolute best," Kai agreed smoothly, resting his hand comfortably on the hilt of the Void-Star Fang as the heavy blast doors at the far end of the bay began to slowly grind open, revealing a massive, heavily armed syndicate waiting inside. "Let us go see what kind of navy our new fortune can buy."