"No way! You actually managed to hypnotize Kafka? Who the hell are you?"
The commotion caught Silver Wolf's attention, and she forgot all about trying to get her weapon back. Still half-dangling from Su Mo's arm, she twisted around in surprise. Seeing Kafka standing there with her hands up in surrender was like witnessing the impossible.
It was common knowledge that a master of Spirit Whisper was also the most resistant to it. What kind of monster could defeat Kafka in her own domain?
In response to her question, Su Mo simply shook his head.
"It's just Spirit Whisper."
The words of a god held a power that mortals could not defy. This was a trait possessed by even the most common of Heretic Gods.
A casual word from an ordinary Heretic God was an inviolable oracle to a human, even for a Great Knight-class individual. This was why Heretic Gods were beings that ordinary humans could never hope to oppose; most people couldn't even muster the will to fight.
Su Mo's Spirit Whisper, of course, was not so simple. In the realm of mythology, having mastered the lore of the Abrahamic God, he had combined the fundamental properties of divine speech with the reality-warping characteristic of the One True God.
His words carried a compulsion that superseded even divine authority.
On top of that, the Draconia's Ruler's Edict aka draconic language also held a power comparable to, or even greater than, divine authority. The combination of all these speech-based abilities resulted in a skill that even Kafka was powerless to resist.
At this point, if Su Mo truly wished it, he could destroy an entire planet with a single careless word.
In both the domains of mental and physical domination, this power was absurdly strong.
"Tsk!"
Hearing Su Mo's nonchalant tone, Silver Wolf clicked her tongue.
She exchanged a look with Kafka, and both realized the situation was dire.
The two of them had come as a team, and both had been taken down.
What were they supposed to do now? Even if he didn't intend to kill them, it seemed highly likely he would hand them over to the Interastral Peace Corporation to collect the bounty of over ten billion credits.
Realizing this, Silver Wolf hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
"Um... I can give you one—no, ten—account passwords with a balance of twenty billion credits each. Can we call it a truce?"
A wise person knows when to yield. As for the credits, it wasn't her money anyway.
Hearing this, Kafka's lip twitched.
This kid was still trying to be clever at a time like this. Wasn't she being a little too bold?
Giving account passwords wasn't the same as giving cash. A transaction of that magnitude would definitely be investigated by the IPC. If Su Mo accepted, he'd be taking on all the subsequent liability.
"A truce?"
Hearing this request, Su Mo looked at the girl with amusement.
"Remember the question you asked me earlier? If you answer it, I might consider."
Silver Wolf paused, then immediately recalled her question from before her attack: "Tell me, who's the noob now?"
For him to ask her to answer it now... was he trying to make her admit she was a noob herself?
Her face immediately flushed crimson.
"Impossible! You might as well kill me! I'd rather wait for Sam to come rescue me than admit defeat!"
For the hacker girl, the one thing she could never admit was being a noob.
Seeing her stubbornness, Kafka felt a wave of exhaustion.
Given the power Su Mo had displayed, even if Sam and Blade both showed up, they'd probably be captured on the spot. They wouldn't be able to rescue them.
At this point, having carried out Su Mo's command to surrender, she had regained the ability to speak.
It was better to leave negotiations to an adult like her.
So, after composing herself, she prepared to speak.
"Excuse me—"
She had just gotten two words out when a soft murmur suddenly drew everyone's attention.
The three of them followed the sound and saw that the gray-haired girl, who had been asleep all this time, had just woken up. She was rubbing her drowsy eyes, taking in the scene before her.
The first person the gray-haired girl saw was the black-haired, black-eyed man right in front of her.
Like a bird imprinting on the first thing it sees, her gaze toward Su Mo quickly became affectionate and unguarded. The residual knowledge in her mind told her his identity.
"Dad!"
Su Mo was taken aback. He hadn't expected this outcome.
In the game, the Stellaron-infused protagonist didn't see March 7th as her mother, did she?
Next, the gray-haired girl's gaze shifted to Silver Wolf beside Su Mo, focusing on her slender frame.
"Mom?" she asked doubtfully. As if failing some internal check, she shook her head slightly and turned to the purple-haired woman closest to her.
Only after seeing Kafka's gentle and ample bosom did she seem reassured, calling out affectionately, "Mom!"
Hearing this, Kafka's normally magnificent and dangerous eyes instantly softened with a helpless fondness.
Having confirmed her parents, the gray-haired girl turned her cheerful gaze back to Silver Wolf and confirmed the girl's identity.
"Auntie!"
"!"
Silver Wolf subconsciously looked down at her own chest, a vein throbbing on her forehead.
"What kind of standard is this kid using to judge people?!"
Making fun of her for being small, is she!
The gleeful gray-haired girl, however, didn't notice Silver Wolf's displeasure. After looking back and forth between the three of them, she noticed Silver Wolf dangling from Su Mo's arm and said to him with a serious expression, "Dad, don't bully Auntie. Even if she's a little short, we're all family!"
Hearing this, Silver Wolf finally snapped. She gave up on getting her weapon back and glared at the gray-haired girl.
"Dammit, Kafka, don't hold me back! I'm gonna punch her!"
A civil war broke out among the Stellaron Hunters, and the scene descended into chaos.
A few dozen seconds later, things returned to normal.
It wasn't because Kafka had stopped Silver Wolf, but because Silver Wolf had lost the fight against the Stellaron-wielder.
Stripped of her powers, she was just a little girl, not even as tall as her opponent. Not to mention, her opponent was infused with a Stellaron and had a far superior constitution. She was able to pin Silver Wolf down with just one hand.
"Since Mr. Su means no harm, I'll be frank. I hope you can adopt Stelle and take her on a new journey aboard the Astral Express."
After exchanging names, Kafka bowed to Su Mo and made her request.
"Stelle, huh?"
Su Mo murmured the gray-haired girl's name, glancing at the future queen of trash cans.
"Waaah, Mom, are you divorcing Dad?"
Stelle looked at Kafka with teary eyes. Despite her adult physique, she whined like a small child.
"..."
Hearing the girl's words, Kafka's face darkened.
That was her kid, alright. She was just as bizarre even with amnesia.
Kafka had already explained their relationship several times, but Stelle didn't seem to have listened at all, still convinced that Su Mo was her father.
"Let's put aside the adoption for now. Fostering her on the Astral Express shouldn't be a problem," Su Mo said with a nod, not refusing the request. "However, could you tell me your reason for doing this? Why must she join the Trailblazers?" he asked curiously.
"It's the best ending, for both her and for me," Kafka replied. "I don't know the details of this ending, but... this future is related to an Aeon."
Kafka wouldn't have revealed such secrets to anyone else, but now she was Su Mo's prisoner, and Stelle had already accepted him as her father.
Under these circumstances, any future involving Stelle would almost certainly involve the man before her. Hiding things was pointless.
If she wasn't afraid of changing the script too much, she might not have even hidden the final plan.
"I see."
Though her words were vague, Su Mo had a rough idea of her objective.
He marveled at the sheer audacity of the Stellaron Hunters and nodded.
"The matter with this child is settled. However, in exchange, I need you to do me a favor."
"What is it?"
"Help me ask the 'slave of Destiny'... if I still have a place in his future scripts." Su Mo inquired with a hint of curiosity.
If Elio could incorporate a variable like him into the script of destiny, then his power would be worth paying attention to.
But if he couldn't, then his abilities were questionable.
Peering into destiny was something Su Mo, who held the authorities of numerous gods of fate, could also do.
"Alright!" Kafka immediately agreed. She was also very interested in the answer to that question. Since it wouldn't affect anyone she cared about, she had no reason to refuse.
"May I ask—"
The negotiation was over, and Kafka, who was extremely curious about Su Mo's origins, was about to ask more questions.
Suddenly, she heard a girl's voice.
"Excuse me, do you know where Lord Su Mo is? Oh! Thanks!"
That distinct, lively voice clearly belonged to March 7th.
Kafka immediately pushed her own questions aside and looked at Su Mo.
"My apologies, Mr. Su, but I should go. It's not a good time for us to interact with the Astral Express."
The birth mother shouldn't meet the adoptive mother... there was probably a rule like that, right?
"Mom!"
Hearing this, Stelle immediately started whining like a piece of sticky candy.
Seeing this, Kafka expertly reached into her coat, pulled out fifty credits, and handed them to Stelle.
"Be good now. Go play with your dad!"
"Okay!"
Upon receiving the fifty credits, Stelle gave a crisp salute and immediately trotted over to Su Mo's side.
Her reluctance had been bought off for a mere fifty credits.
Truly worthy of the queen of memes.
"Well then, farewell."
Su Mo didn't try to keep them. The moment he spoke, the restraints on Silver Wolf and Kafka were released, restoring their powers.
"Oh, right. Take this!"
Seeing Silver Wolf about to leave, Su Mo held out her driver, intending to return it.
But to his surprise, Silver Wolf, who had been crying and demanding it back just moments ago, didn't reach for it.
Instead, she puffed out her cheeks and glared at Su Mo, the fire in her eyes like she was looking at an eternal rival.
"Hmph! I don't need your charity! You just wait! The next time I defeat you, I'll take back what I lost with my own hands!"
Clearly, she had the pride of the poor who refuse to accept handouts.
Su Mo was slightly taken aback by this.
"So you don't need a weapon?"
"It's fine, I have a spare!"
With that, Silver Wolf gave Su Mo one last, deep look, searing the image of her rival into her mind.
She then activated her backup hidden power source—the goggles on her head—and opened a spatial portal, leaving Su Mo with a view of her coolly departing back.
Just then…
"Bye, Mom! Bye, Auntie!"
Stelle, who was huddled next to Su Mo, waved at the two of them.
Hearing this, Silver Wolf stumbled and almost fell over.
Unfortunately, the portal had already closed, so she couldn't go back and settle the score with Stelle.
And a second after the two Stellaron Hunters disappeared, the energetic, pink-haired girl burst in.
"Lord Su Mo, are you alright?"
Seeing the girl who had suddenly appeared and was looking at Su Mo with great concern, Stelle stared in confusion for two seconds before her eyes widened.
"Dad, is this Mom Number Two?"
Hearing this, March 7th's eyes also widened. She glanced back and forth between Su Mo and Stelle, then covered her mouth in shock.
"Dad?"
She had only been gone for two minutes, and Lord Su Mo already had a daughter this big?