The Almighty Ring

Two minutes of running later, Jiang Fei stopped in his tracks. Akatziris was waiting for him in what seemed to be the central control room.

“Tada! Did you enjoy my gift to you?” said Akatziris as she playfully spun around, much like a little girl showing off, before ending the charade with a captain’s salute.

“Hmm.”

Jiang Fei gave no attention to Akatziris’ ploy. He was far from where he once was. He had been bamboozled so many times to know that there was another one coming.

He was very familiar with Akatziris’ behavior and mannerisms since he had been scammed by her more than once. If he had not been so vigilant around her, he wouldn’t have noticed her disappearance from the battlefield. By the time he was done with the battle, Akatziris would have long travelled into interstellar space.

“Oh, my master. Why are you still doubting me?” said Akatziris with a playful frown.

“I was only just teasing you. Now, I’m giving you the ship itself! You couldn’t possibly stay mad at me now, could you?”

“What do you want?” asked Jiang Fei with a poker face. He knew that there was no free lunch in the world. No one would give out something without asking for something else in return.

“Well… before that, let me show you something,” said Akatziris. With a snap of her fingers, a projection blasted down from the top of the ceiling, projecting the surveillance images.

“The hell… how did they get here? Who are those two?” said Jiang Fei worriedly. Neptulon’s face was familiar since he had fought both Sylphy and Isabella. The man was so strong that he could hold down Isabella, all by himself. If it weren’t for Isabella’s powerful defense, the man would have defeated her easily. Even now, Jiang Fei was worried that he would use the same power and there would be nothing he could do but stall him.

“It matters not what they are. What matters is the Core of Time in his possession. Give and take a few minutes or seconds, he will open the door and enter the ship. Do you want them to take over this ship?” Akatziris started her speech.

“Even if they enter, what makes you think I couldn’t defeat him?” Jiang Fei replied with a condescending scoff.

“Oh, I’ve never doubted your strength. All I know is if there was a fight inside the ship, there would be destruction. Know this. It is much easier to smash things inside here. The interior of the ship is much more vulnerable than the outside.”

This time, upon listening to her explanation, Jiang Fei frowned with genuine concern.

If Jiang Fei were to deal with Neptulon, he could simply activate his domain ability and dominate the entire fight. Then, even Isabella alone could hold off Neptulon while the others dealt with the other two mysterious people. However, what Akatziris said was true. If a fight were to break out in the ship, everything in there would be broken and destroyed. Even if he won the fight, defeating all three, and even Akatziris if necessary, the ship would be destroyed. He might win the fight but lose the war.

“My master, here is the truth about them and myself. I betrayed them once and for that, they would never let me go. If they enter, I will surely die. Henceforth, I am now giving you the ship. In exchange, I want you to promise me that you will kill all of them! Give me your word and the ship is yours,” said Akatziris. Her offer made her sound like a man who was willing to surrender his treasure for his life.

Jiang Fei could not answer her immediately. The girls behind him were sensing a larger game afoot, yet even they couldn’t say anything. All of them knew that Jiang Fei was already recognized as the captain of the ship. If Akatziris had anything planned, she wouldn’t be able to do anything since Jiang Fei already owned the ship!

Jiang Fei took his time to think about it. Would she be really giving up the ship just to have a route to live? He couldn’t tell even as he scanned her face for facial tics.

“My sweet loving master, let us put aside our differences for a moment. They are breaking in and believe me, they will, very soon, succeed. I urge– no. I implore you to take control of the ship and activate the weapons system! Kill them now! Before it’s too late!” cried Akatziris as she constantly monitored the surveillance feed. The door was already inches away from opening and Akatziris’ panic could not be faked.

With a heavy sigh, Jiang Fei turned around.

“Move back.”

The last thing he wanted was to have other enemies entering his ship. The most logical choice was to believe Akatziris. Even so, as a precaution, he had everything move further back and had Sylphy and Isabella available to protect.

“0543, take control!” Jiang Fei roared as he allowed the ring to make contact with the central Data Management Center.

With a crisp “klang” sound, the ring made contact and started to glow.

“Begin integration process…” 0543’s female voice was heard.

“Integration complete.”

“Authenticating…”

“Complete…”

“Initializing… Error… Restarting main engine sequence…”

“Success.”

“Reinitializing…”

“Complete.”

“Starting main console sequence with support system 0543 authentication…”

“Complete.”

The speed at which 0543 worked was insane. Before she could even finish her last sentence, she immediately started a new one, hence it sounded like there were more than one support system working. In less than thirty seconds, the ship was starting up properly. The lighting of the ship changed and when it restarted, every part of the ship was illuminated.

With a loud whirring sound, the flaperons on the side of the ship unfolded, revealing countless menacing cannons.

“Oh shoot! That’s awesome!” cried Jiang Fei.

“Kill them all!” cried Jiang Fei as he directed the targets to the three Unknowns who were trying to gain entry into the ship. Neptulon was so close that in just twenty centimeters, the door would be wide enough for everyone to enter.

“Error. Insufficient clearance to operate weapon system.”

“Error. Violation of Protocol 0001.”

“Revision of Protocol 0001 initiated.

“Complete.”

“Authorization of Terran Lifeform: Jiang Fei has been revoked.”

“Applying new captain credentials…”

“Complete.”

“Your orders, Captain?”

…

Something strange was happening and Jiang Fei was caught completely off guard.

“Force-teleport all Terran lifeforms into the prison!” Akatziris ordered with a sinister smile.

“Order received. Commencing…”

Before Jiang Fei could even react, everyone was encased in a pillar of light and was teleported away from the central control room. If Ariel was at her optimal state, she could have done something to stop it but… it was all too late. Not even Isabella could brute force her way out of it.

Braveheart was the prized battleship of Planet Namek. Its teleportation technique was so powerful that not even a Level 5 Metahuman could stop it. Not even when one was fused with an Energy Core!

“Where is this?”

“I-I-I can’t use my powers!”

“My strength is gone!”

…

Isabella, Sylphy, and even the calm and composed Ariel and Nina started to panic. Everyone was teleported into a large room where all four walls were made of the same silvery-white metal. As a prison designed by the Namekians, they had considered having to house powerful individuals and monsters alike. The room was protected and insulated with powerful barriers. Worst of all, it contained a powerful enervation effect that neutralized any means of power.

“Now, do tell me, my sweet loving master. How do you like this gift of mine? Before you tell me, I have another special gift for you!” Akatziris’ voice could be heard coming from a small speaker on the ceiling.