Chapter 28: The Auction of Ruin
Location: Oasis-4 – The Grand Celestial Auction House
The rumor had spread through the Andromeda Market like a virus.
"Someone is selling a Stable Void Core."
In a galaxy plagued by the Void, a stabilized core was priceless. It could power a planet, fuel a dreadnought, or—for the desperate—stave off corruption.
The Grand Celestial Auction House was packed. The main hall was a coliseum of velvet and gold, protected by S-Rank forcefields.
In the VIP boxes sat the power players of the sector:
* The Merchant Guild (Blue-skinned bankers).
* The Mercenary Kings (Cybernetic warlords).
* The Red Sun Cartel (Representatives of the Crimson Emperor).
Jiang Chen sat in the central Owner's Box, sipping a glass of glowing nectar. He wore a white suit made of woven spider-silk, radiating the aura of a wealthy, arrogant young master.
Mo You stood behind him, dressed as a bodyguard in sleek black armor. Feng Xi sat next to him, currently trying to teach a pet slime she bought how to perform tricks.
"The fish are biting," Mo You whispered, her eyes scanning the crowd below. "The Cartel box is active. I sense killing intent."
"Let them hate," Jiang Chen smiled. "Hate makes them stupid."
The lights dimmed.
The Auctioneer—a floating robotic sphere with a holographic face—descended to the stage.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, and Sentient Clouds! Welcome! Tonight, we have a special finale provided by the... checks notes... Jiang Clan of Terra."
The floor opened. A pedestal rose.
On it sat the Void Crystal. It had been purified by Jiang Chen's Grandmist energy, so instead of a jagged, sick purple, it was a smooth, pulsating violet sphere.
"Item #100: A Refined Void Core. Energy Output: Unlimited. Starting bid: 10 Million Credits."
The room exploded.
"12 Million!"
"15 Million!"
"20 Million!"
In the Red Sun Cartel's box, a man stood up. He was huge, his skin scarred and red, wearing the uniform of a Vice-Admiral.
"50 Million," the Vice-Admiral boomed.
The crowd quieted. Nobody wanted to bid against the Pirate Emperor's fleet.
"50 Million going once..." the robot droned.
"100 Million," a voice rang out from the Merchant Guild box.
The Vice-Admiral's face twisted. He glared at the Guild.
"200 Million!" the Vice-Admiral roared. "And a warning to anyone else: The Crimson Emperor wants this stone."
Silence fell over the hall. That was a direct threat.
Jiang Chen tapped his microphone.
"Mr. Admiral," Jiang Chen's voice echoed calmly. "This is an auction, not a robbery. If you're broke, just say so."
Gasps ripple through the audience. Someone dared to mock the Cartel?
The Vice-Admiral turned slowly to Jiang Chen's box.
"Boy," the Pirate snarled. "Do you know who we are? We don't pay for things. We take them."
"Is that so?" Jiang Chen leaned forward. "Then why haven't you taken it yet?"
The Vice-Admiral snapped.
"Seize it!" he ordered his guards. "And bring me that boy's head!"
Ten Cartel elites jumped from the VIP box, activating jetpacks. They dove toward the stage to grab the crystal.
"Security!" the Auctioneer shrieked.
"No need," Jiang Chen said.
He snapped his fingers.
"Mo You."
SHING.
The lights in the auction hall flickered off for exactly one second.
When they came back on, the ten elite pirates were falling. Their jetpacks were cut in half. Their heads were separated from their bodies.
They crashed onto the stage in a heap of blood and sparks.
Mo You was standing on the pedestal, next to the Crystal. She held her daggers, looking bored.
"Trash," she announced. "Next batch, please."
The Vice-Admiral froze. Those were A-Rank elites. Dead in a second?
Jiang Chen stood up, projecting his voice.
"The auction is canceled. Since the Cartel broke the rules, the price has changed."
He looked directly at the Vice-Admiral.
"The price is now The Crimson Emperor's Head."
Location: Space – Outside Oasis-4
The Vice-Admiral didn't attack again. He tapped his communicator.
"My Lord! He refuses to yield! He has an SS-Rank assassin!"
A moment of silence.
Then, the sensors on Oasis-4 screamed.
[WARNING: HYPERSPACE BREACH.]
[MASSIVE FLEET DETECTED.]
The space above the golden moon tore open.
Hundreds of jagged, red warships emerged. They swarmed like locusts.
And in the center was the Flagship: The Red Leviathan. It was a city-sized vessel made of bones and rusted metal, leaking grey Void smoke.
A hologram projected from the Leviathan, appearing in the sky above the Auction House.
It was a giant face. A face made of rotting flesh and cybernetics.
The Crimson Emperor.
"WHO..." The voice shook the entire moon. "WHO DENIES ME... MY FOOD?"
The pressure was immense. The artificial gravity of the station buckled. Civilians screamed and ran.
Jiang Chen looked up at the hologram.
"He's corrupted," Jiang Chen analyzed. "Look at his eyes. No pupils. Just Void."
"He's not a Warlord anymore," Mo You agreed. "He's a Ghoul."
"GIVE ME... THE CRYSTAL!" The Emperor roared.
The Leviathan charged its main cannons. Red plasma began to gather.
"He's going to fire on the station!" Feng Xi gasped. "But there are millions of people here!"
"He doesn't care," Jiang Chen said. "He's hungry."
Jiang Chen tapped his comms.
"System. Activate the Void Piercer."
"Where is it?" Feng Xi asked.
"It's been cloaked directly above us," Jiang Chen grinned.
VWOOM.
Above the auction house, the air shimmered.
The sleek, black shape of the Void Piercer de-cloaked. It was smaller than the Leviathan, but its presence was infinitely more terrifying. The Divine Heart engine pulsed with a deep, purple rhythm.
"Feng Xi, take the helm. Get the civilians out of the line of fire."
"Mo You, handle the boarding parties."
"I..." Jiang Chen drew Nightfall. His Void Walker Suit materialized around him.
"I'm going to knock on his front door."
Jiang Chen launched himself into the sky.
He flew straight toward the giant holographic face of the Pirate Emperor.
"A BUG?" The Emperor laughed. "KILL HIM."
Thousands of fighter drones launched from the pirate fleet.
Jiang Chen didn't dodge. He activated the Chaos Sutra.
A purple sphere of gravity formed around him.
"Gravity Well: Crush."
As he flew, the drones entering his radius were instantly crumpled into balls of scrap metal. He was a human wrecking ball, punching a hole straight through the swarm.
He reached the Leviathan.
The shields were up. Red, S-Rank energy barriers.
Jiang Chen held Nightfall with both hands.
[Trinity Art: Shield Breaker.]
He slashed.
CRACK.
The red barrier shattered like glass.
Jiang Chen landed on the hull of the flagship. He stabbed his sword into the metal deck.
"Open."
He poured Grandmist energy into the blade. The metal hull melted, creating a hole leading directly into the bridge.
Jiang Chen jumped in.
Location: Inside the Red Leviathan - The Bridge
The bridge smelled of rotting meat. The crew—once pirates—were now mindless husks, fused to their consoles with grey fleshy tubes.
In the center sat the Crimson Emperor.
He was fused to his throne. His lower body was a mass of tentacles. His upper body was bloated, grey, and pulsing.
[Boss: The Crimson Emperor (Corrupted)]
[Rank: SS-Rank (Peak)]
[Status: 90% Void Conversion.]
"YOU SMELL..." The Emperor sniffed, his neck twisting 180 degrees. "YOU SMELL LIKE... THE ORIGIN."
"And you smell like a sewer," Jiang Chen walked forward, his boots clanking on the metal floor.
"I want the Key," Jiang Chen said. "Give it to me, and I'll make your death quick."
"THE KEY?" The Emperor laughed, black bile leaking from his mouth. "THE KEY IS... INSIDE ME. COME... DIG IT OUT."
The tentacles lashed out.
Jiang Chen dodged. The tentacle smashed the metal floor, leaving a corrosive burn mark.
"Fine," Jiang Chen's eyes glowed white. "Surgery it is."
[Battle Start: Jiang Chen vs The Pirate King]