Kael Ardyn froze as the verdict echoed through the chamber. His face betrayed nothing—calm, unreadable—but inside, a storm raged. Around him, the Starborne Armada of the Skyward Empire moved with lethal precision. Mechanical soldiers dragged his Death God Fifth-Generation mech toward a massive, pitch-black circular furnace. Its surface shimmered under the dim lights, as if it were alive, as if it were waiting and waiting for him.The lid slammed down with a deafening clang. The sound rattled through his bones. Inside, chaotic rays erupted, scattering shards of blinding light across the chamber. The reverse time-space furnace came alive. Currents of temporal energy twisted and churned, reality itself bending under their pull. Time began to rewind, unraveling like a thread pulled backward. Everything inside the furnace started returning to its primordial state.Any normal machine—even one as advanced as the Death God—would dissolve into raw metal ore in a single cosmic day. But this one

Five minutes. That was all it took. The Death God Fifth-Generation mech tore through the mechanical soldiers like a storm made of steel. Sparks flew. Metal screamed. Limbs twisted and shattered, scattering across the battlefield like shards of broken glass. For a heartbeat, everything went silent. And then the mech moved again, unstoppable, straight into the Skyward Empire’s central command room.The room was huge. Walls of cold, reflective metal glimmered under the flickering red alarm lights. Five raised platforms stood like thrones carved for warlords. Each one had a robot perched atop it—grotesque, imposing, the kind that made even seasoned soldiers think twice. Kael knew these faces. He’d seen them months ago when they’d interrogated him. Now, they were rulers of the Starborne Armada. Absolute rulers.“Death God Fifth-Generation,” the first robot said, its voice metallic and sharp, echoing around the chamber. “You have proven your strength. Lay down your Death God Scythe, and we

The room was quiet. Almost peaceful. A faint drip of water echoed from the corner where a drenched figure stood. And then, without warning, all calm was shattered.The Berserk Ripper barreled toward Kael Ardyn’s bed like a storm unleashed. One hand gripped the collar of his shirt, lifting him halfway off the mattress. The other clenched the thick metal chain lying nearby. She didn’t need to say it—he could see her intent clear as day. She was going to strangle him.Kael’s eyes snapped open. His heart raced, hammering against his chest. The sight of her, soaked and furious, chain taut in her hand, froze him solid.“What… what is going on? Captain, why are you trying to strangle me? Are you sleepwalking again?” His voice wavered, his legs threatening to buckle.“Sleepwalking?” she spat, chest rising and falling like she was fueling some fiery storm. Her face was flushed, veins standing out on her neck. “Who told you it was okay to barge into the bathroom without knocking? Am I… touching

The room was silent, the kind of silence that pressed against your ears until it almost hurt. The only sounds were the soft hum of the ventilation and the occasional faint clink of the metal pole. The Berserk Ripper sat restrained, her lips smeared with bright red blood, letting out a low growl full of frustration and barely contained rage.“Hmm,” she muttered, soft but dangerous. It wasn’t acceptance, exactly, but she knew the metal cutter had to be used. Big Bear glanced at her, then at Kael Ardyn. He looked like he wanted to say something, but the words never came. Instead, he turned and walked toward the Aether Combat Division workshop, leaving them alone.Kael Ardyn stayed seated, watching her carefully. The air between them felt thick, almost physical. Her eyes glimmered with anger—sharp, unreadable, and dangerous. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm, though every second made his chest tighten.“Your shirt buttons…” he said carefully, pointing. “They’re misaligne

Chaos hit without warning. One second, the room was tense; the next, it exploded into motion. The Ripper leapt sideways, a streak of lethal grace. She shoved a wooden stool aside, rolled across the cold, metallic floor, and barely avoided the heavy table slamming down where she had been. Sparks flew from metal against metal. The sound cracked like thunder.“Daring to bang the table and shout at me!” Kael Ardyn’s voice roared, slicing through the chaos. His eyes were fire, a mix of anger and precise calculation. “Don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re the captain. Or a woman! Even if your grandmother stitched you together herself, you’d better speak to me with respect!”Big Bear froze. Every muscle in him locked. His stomach twisted. The air hummed with tension. He glanced at Kael, whose fury radiated like a heatwave, then at the Ripper crouched low, trembling with barely contained rage. And suddenly, he knew. Nothing—nothing—could hold her now.He wished desperately that