Chapter 65: Lasso of Lies
Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
A fiery red sky, crisscrossing streets, and buildings that soared into the clouds formed a grand and bustling scene. Towering structures and wide avenues complemented each other, while radiant billboards shimmered with dazzling colors. Flying vehicles shuttled through the high altitudes, leaving sparkling trails in their wake.
Astra stood at the edge of the Royal Palace's rooftop, her expression dazed as she overlooked the magnificent metropolis below.
This was Krypton.
The red sun shone upon the land, illuminating a brilliant city that glittered in the sunlight, its architecture quintessentially Kryptonian. As Astra faced this majestic city, her mind felt muddled, and her temples throbbed with a dull ache.
"My dear, what happened?"
Astra turned her head toward the voice. Standing behind her was a burly, powerful man, his black, form-fitting combat suit tightly wrapping his solid, muscular frame. He had a thick, unruly beard and a sharply defined face.
It was her husband, Non.
"I... I don't know." Astra rubbed her temples. "Something feels wrong, but I can't remember..."
"Relax, my dear. Nothing is wrong," Non said softly, taking her hand. "We succeeded."
"Succeeded?" Astra was momentarily blank.
"The Great Purge," Non said excitedly. "Everyone on Krypton has now been affected by the Great Purge. They have all willingly submitted to us! We've finally succeeded! You and I, we have ascended together to the pinnacle of this nation, this planet, becoming the true and only masters of Krypton!"
"We... right." Astra's expression shifted slightly, as if she was starting to remember something.
Her expression gradually turned to excitement, an irrepressible smile spreading across her face.
"We succeeded. The grand ambition we've dreamed of—to become the rulers of this planet. Krypton will flourish in our hands!"
With that, the two looked at each other and burst into loud laughter.
After laughing for a full half-minute, Astra couldn't help but stop. However, her husband beside her showed no sign of stopping, still laughing with his head thrown back and mouth wide open.
Watching him, Astra couldn't help but feel a pang of shame.
*So this is how foolish it looks from a third-person perspective...*
She coughed and patted Non's shoulder, signaling that was enough.
However, not only did he not stop, but his laughter grew even more rampant and exaggerated, to the point of becoming unbearable.
Then Non whipped his head around. To Astra's horror, she saw that her husband's eyes... had actually turned into a pair of light bulbs, instantly triggering an instinctive alarm deep within her.
It was as if a massive word had been branded into her mind.
Danger!
"Hahahahaha, conquering Krypton? You really dare to dream. Why don't you take a look at who I really am?"
Her husband's skin was instantly stretched and torn before her eyes, replaced by a silver-white head that looked like it was made of steel and iron. A red and silver body emerged from that husk, radiating a golden radiance so blinding it could sear one's eyes, while his form rapidly swelled until he became a giant that towered over the landscape.
In that instant, the situation on Krypton changed dramatically, and the entire world began to fall apart. Structures collapsed, the ground sank, the sky seemed to catch fire, and the sun exploded with a deafening roar.
The giant stood in the center of this doomsday world, looking at her mockingly. Astra felt as if she had been plunged into an abyss. Immense fear almost swallowed her whole. She wanted to fight back but couldn't even move a finger. She could only stand against the gale, stare at that terrifying, colossal silhouette, and let out a heart-rending, sharp scream.
"Arghhh!!!"
The next moment, the scene suddenly vanished.
The burning sky, the ruined city, the giant standing amidst the destruction—all of it dissipated in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, Astra found herself securely bound to a chair, screaming at a blank wall.
A young man and an old, white-bearded man were standing beside her, one on her left and one on her right, watching her with their arms crossed.
Astra, her mouth still open, blinked her eyes and warily sized up the pair next to her.
The scene was a bit awkward for a moment.
Orin Vale glanced sideways at the Old Wizard next to him. "So, is it normal for her to scream this loudly?"
"Hmm... it should be," the Old Wizard said, stroking his great beard. "The 'Lasso of Lies' on her corresponds to the Amazons' 'Lasso of Truth.' It's a divine artifact woven from lies. The bound sentient being will see a lie carefully woven for them by the lasso, an illusion from which it is difficult to escape. But none of us know what exactly she saw, so it's possible it was some... hmm... indescribable scene."
"I see," Orin Vale nodded.
The Kryptonian woman glared daggers at the two. In her fury, she immediately tried to spring up, intending to use her Super Speed to crush these two impertinent men who were pointing and commenting on her into the concrete—alright, part of it was also the sheer embarrassment; she wanted to kill them to shut them up.
Then she discovered she couldn't.
She was firmly fixed to the chair beneath her, the Lasso of Lies binding her in place completely. Although this thing wasn't as famous or powerful as the Lasso of Truth in Diana's hands, it was still an enchanted divine artifact from the Greek pantheon, and breaking free wasn't going to be easy.
Moreover, after trying to channel her power, Astra quickly realized she couldn't muster an ounce of strength.
Even when she tried to use her Heat Vision, she strained with all her might only to feel her eye sockets get a little red and hot, but nothing came out.
It was as if these two had used some method to drain her dry.
Astra narrowed her eyes, glaring at them with resentment. "What did you do to me?"
"Uh, nothing much. We just used a Red Sun-brand juicer to squeeze out all your solar energy to keep you from acting up. It's easier for everyone this way," Orin Vale said with his arms crossed. "And we just have a couple of questions for you."
"Hah, use your filthiest, most despicable tricks, you evil Lightstar-person," Astra said coldly. "But don't expect me to reveal a single piece of information. I am a glorious Kryptonian Soldier. We never surrender, let alone compromise. We never bow to evil forces. Do whatever you want."
"Lightstar-person... alright, it's not the weirdest name I've been called."
At least it sounded better than Giant Mountain Super Power Overlord.
"Don't make it sound so nasty," Orin Vale said with a straight face. "Speaking of which, it seems you're the one invading someone else's planet. We're the good guys here."
Good guys?
Astra narrowed her eyes and glanced down at the classic "Tortoise Shell Binding"-style ropework on her body.
Then she looked up and squinted at the two men before her.
Her expression seemed to say, *Are you sure?*
"Uh..."
Orin Vale turned his head to look at the Old Wizard.
His meaning seemed to be, *He tied her, it has nothing to do with me.*
The Old Wizard also turned to look beside him, only to find with a jolt that there was no one there; it seemed he couldn't shift the blame. So he could only stroke his beard and say calmly, "I merely cast a Binding Spell. The way she was tied was decided by the lasso itself."
(end of chapter )