"You are my opponent!"
Battle Beast gripped the hilt of the Eternal Blade tightly.
His beastly pupils fixed on the figure before him, his brows twisting into a savage furrow.
His life-and-death battle with Regent Thragg of Viltrum still burned within his bones—that had been the fiercest fight of his life.
"Rumor says you're even stronger than Thragg." Battle Beast let out a low growl from his throat, the sword tip slanting toward the ground, the blade flowing with the eerie glow of nether-prison magic. "I hope you have the strength worthy of my full power. Otherwise, killing you would dirty my hands!"
He narrowed his eyes. His muscles bulged like forged iron, every inch brimming with violent force.
"Heh, the way you puff up like an angry big cat is actually kind of cute." Misfortune curled her lips, a wicked smile blooming on her exquisite face as she casually sized up his leonine head. "You want a duel? I'll grant it."
Before her words fully fell, Battle Beast had already become a blur.
In the blink of an eye, he was upon Misfortune!
The Eternal Blade howled as it tore through the air, carrying enough force to cleave through planetary crust as it hacked down toward her head.
Crack!
A crisp sound rang out, like a brittle biscuit being crushed between fingers.
Misfortune caught the descending blade with one hand. Her five fingers tightened slightly, and the divine weapon forged from the remains of a ruler shattered into a rain of metal fragments.
Before Battle Beast could react, her fist came crashing in like a falling meteor.
His eyes widened in fury. Instead of retreating, he charged forward and took the punch head-on.
Terrifying force surged into his body like a tsunami. A metallic sweetness rose in his throat as he was flung backward like a kite with its string cut, smashing heavily into the ground and carving out a massive crater that spread like a spiderweb.
"Cough—"
Battle Beast wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. There was no fear in his eyes—only fiercer battle intent.
He threw away the broken sword hilt and let out a roar that shook the heavens. "You're worthy! I won't hold back in this fight!"
Like a maddened beast, he lunged again, claws shredding the air, fangs gleaming coldly.
Misfortune floated in midair, her figure flickering like a phantom.
Every one of Battle Beast's attacks struck nothing but afterimages. His claws grasped only empty air.
"Coward! Is dodging all you can do?!"
Battle Beast fell completely into a frenzy, roaring at the sky and making the earth tremble.
Before his roar had even faded, Misfortune appeared silently behind him.
One hand clamped down on his head like iron tongs and slammed it downward!
Boom—
His head smashed violently into the ground. The hardened rock strata collapsed instantly, forming a crater dozens of meters deep as dust billowed into the sky.
"Kitty, I'm a beautiful girl—not a coward."
Misfortune looked down at the figure at the bottom of the pit, her smile cold and mocking.
"Roar—!"
Battle Beast tore free from her grip, muscles bulging as both hands shot toward her throat like iron claws.
Misfortune raised her hand and unleashed a lightning-fast barrage.
Amid the dull thuds of flesh striking flesh, the bones in Battle Beast's body snapped one after another.
She seized his arms with both hands and exerted force—
Crack!
A teeth-grating sound of fracturing bone rang out as his arms twisted into grotesque angles.
Agonizing pain flooded his body, yet he clenched his teeth and suddenly threw his head back, baring his sharp white fangs as he bit viciously toward Misfortune's neck!
"Don't go biting people. That's filthy."
She pressed down on his head with one hand. Her other hand clenched into a fist, carrying world-shattering force as it smashed into his skull.
Thud—
After the heavy impact, Battle Beast dropped to the ground like a heap of ruined flesh, completely unconscious.
In the shadows, the observers from the Coalition of Planets' expressions changed drastically.
Seeing Battle Beast defeated, they decisively activated their contingency plan.
Buzz—
The earth trembled violently as countless ferocious black shapes burst from beneath the surface.
They were controlled Ragna—savage beasts native to a super-gravity planet, their claws easily capable of tearing apart the hardened bodies of Viltrumites.
An overwhelming tide of Ragna roared as they surged toward Misfortune in the sky.
In such numbers, even Thragg would have no choice but to flee in panic!
Facing the oncoming beast tide, Misfortune merely lifted her eyes faintly.
From her right elbow downward, her arm began to glow red—red like molten crimson gold crystal. Within her palm, a miniature sun slowly condensed, pulsing.
Her five fingers closed gently.
Boom—!
A terrifying gamma-ray burst erupted instantly! Blinding light devoured everything as a torrent of violent energy swept across the land.
All the charging Ragna were reduced to ash in an instant, not even a trace remaining.
The aftershock surged outward, destroying more than half of the planet outright.
Inside the Coalition of Planets fleet command room, there was dead silence. Everyone was stunned by Misfortune's power.
Thaddeus stared at the screen, his brows suddenly knitting together as he pressed the button on the remote in his hand.
The already devastated planet abruptly began collapsing inward.
Gravity spiked wildly. A pitch-black singularity slowly formed at the planet's core, greedily devouring all surrounding matter and light.
Misfortune grabbed the heavily injured Battle Beast. With a flicker, she flew beyond the black hole's gravitational range.
The next second, her figure appeared dozens of light-years away—before the hidden Coalition of Planets fleet within an asteroid belt.
"Here. Your little kitty."
She tossed Battle Beast casually.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, his body pierced straight through a warship. Flames and explosions erupted instantly.
The Alliance soldiers rushed out of their ships in full combat gear. Beams from various weapons wove into a net and poured toward Misfortune.
At the same time, the Viltrum fleet arrived from behind. Countless Viltrumites clad in white and purple battle suits flooded into the battlefield.
In a universe where close-quarters combat reigned supreme, the collision of flesh was far more destructive than long-range artillery.
The warriors of both sides instantly clashed together. Roars, the clash of blades, and explosions shook the heavens.
Amid the chaos, Misfortune's gaze locked onto two figures—Allen and Thaddeus.
She flew over, a faint smile resting on her lips. Her telepathic voice entered their ears, as though the surrounding slaughter had nothing to do with her. "We meet again."
Allen's expression was grim. "What exactly is your objective?!"
"Objective?" Misfortune thought for a moment before replying, "I don't know either. Grandma told me to handle matters between you and the Viltrumites, so I came."
Thaddeus asked, "Did she tell you to handle it this way?"
"Of course not." She shrugged, her tone light. "I just think that since you can't coexist peacefully, you might as well fight until only one side remains."
She paused, a trace of icy madness flickering in her eyes. "If you had refused to come to this decisive battle, I would have destroyed all known civilizations. Then the universe would be completely peaceful, wouldn't it?"
Madwoman! She's a complete and utter lunatic!
Allen and Thaddeus exchanged a glance and charged forward.
At the instant Misfortune's attention was drawn to them, a chilling killing intent approached silently.
From a corner of the asteroid belt, a three-eyed alien riding a liquid morphing motorcycle sped out.
The distance closed rapidly.
In his hand, he gripped a gun shimmering with eerie blue light—the Piercing Ray Gun. He aimed at Misfortune's back and pulled the trigger without hesitation!
A beam of energy shot forth at extreme speed. Coupled with the close distance, it instantly pierced through Misfortune's body and even struck the slowly rotating stellar core within her!
"Did it work?!"
Allen exclaimed in surprise. He had never expected that this absurdly powerful madwoman would be successfully ambushed due to overconfidence.
Out-of-control stellar energy erupted from her chest like a volcanic explosion. Blinding light illuminated the entire asteroid belt, instantly drawing the attention of everyone on the battlefield.
However, just a second before the energy completely detonated, a trace of indifference flashed through Misfortune's eyes.
It's only a star.
There are countless more in the universe.
Once this one's spent... I'll just replace it.
The next second, her body began expanding wildly.
Within mere breaths, her form surpassed that of a star.