"Warp complete. All departments, report damage."
"All onboard weapons systems destroyed. Completely unusable."
Dongfang Qiqing waved her hand.
"That's not important right now. Compile a report later. Begin self-inspection first."
"External communications were damaged by the Starquake and accompanying ion storm. Currently unusable. Repair time unknown."
"Long-range sensors are destroyed beyond repair."
"We attempted to send a distress signal before the warp jump, but… no response was received."
Dongfang Qiqing nodded calmly.
"Don't worry. Our ship's communications equipment is top-tier. The family will definitely receive the signal."
"But we should still prioritize repairing communications."
"If necessary, dismantle nonessential equipment for parts."
"Propulsion systems are completely disabled."
"And… even if repaired, we no longer have the energy required to operate them."
"What?"
"How is that possible?!"
Dongfang Qiqing paused.
"…Then dismantle the system and see what components can still be used."
She hesitated.
"…Actually, no. Leave it alone for now."
"Two-thirds of the hull has sustained severe damage."
"Personnel and material losses are still being counted."
"Remaining supplies are only enough to sustain the surviving crew for three months."
"Centralize supplies and distribute them collectively."
"Conduct multiple search sweeps for missing personnel."
One piece of bad news followed another.
Dongfang Qiqing's heart sank.
"Xiaoyou, stabilize the crew."
"Compile a list of those who died in this disaster."
"If we survive and return home, their families will receive full compensation and lifelong security."
"For those still alive—"
"This quarter's bonus will be ten times the normal amount."
"All medical expenses for the injured will be fully covered, with additional compensation."
"Announce this to everyone."
"And add one more thing."
"The IPC and the Dongfang Family will investigate the culprit responsible for this disaster."
"They will be brought to justice."
Mentioning both the Corporation and the Dongfang family represented two possibilities.
The culprit might belong to either side.
Dongfang Qiqing had been trained from childhood.
Whether rescue would arrive or not—
The most important thing right now was stabilizing morale.
"The location analysis is complete."
"This star system lies near an abandoned shipping route."
"The chance of encountering another vessel is extremely low."
"…Don't tell the crew."
Dongfang Qiqing spoke quietly.
"Hide it as long as possible."
"Secretly prepare supplies sufficient for one year of survival for the two of us and store them in the escape capsule."
"If things become impossible… we can still escape."
"One year should be enough."
"If we're not rescued after that long…"
She stopped speaking.
The ion storm had destroyed almost all electronic systems.
Communications were impossible.
The ship was stranded on a dead route.
This was an abandoned starway.
And the reason it had been abandoned—
Was a Stellaron.
The Stellaron had destroyed civilizations.
Blocked the route.
And attracted the vanguard forces of Destruction.
Even though the civilizations here were long gone, and the starway had fallen silent—
Some remnants of the Antimatter Legion still lingered in the region.
Which meant—
The Legion could appear at any moment.
Their weapons were destroyed.
They had no ability to fight back.
Remaining here was extremely dangerous.
Their only hope was the distress signal sent before the warp.
Dongfang Qiqing was terrified.
More terrified than anyone else.
But right now—
Everyone could panic.
Except her.
Fortunately, she had faced kidnappings and assassination attempts since childhood.
Handling sudden crises was something she had experience with.
She knew exactly what needed to be done.
"Miss," someone reported.
"Over the past few days we dismantled most of the ship's systems to repair the warp engine."
"Thankfully, the Amber Lord has blessed us."
"No further accidents occurred."
"The engine has been successfully repaired."
"However, technicians estimate that the warp engine can only be activated twice at most."
"Most likely it will completely fail after the first jump."
"And the risk during warp is extremely high."
"High risk is still better than waiting to die."
Dongfang Qiqing made her decision instantly.
"Prepare for warp."
"Thirty minutes."
"Destination—"
"IPC Headquarters. Pier Point."
Suddenly—
"Bad news!"
"The Legion!"
"A massive number of Voidrangers!"
"And over a dozen Doom Beasts!"
"They're directly in front of us!"
"Unlucky, unlucky, unlucky!"
Dongfang Qiqing nearly burst into tears.
"Why am I this unlucky?!"
"Why now of all times?!"
"Couldn't they arrive after we leave?!"
In a forgotten corner of the control room, a damaged display flickered.
For a brief moment—
A butterfly appeared on the screen.
Just as it began to flutter its wings—
A strange clown mask suddenly covered it.
Meanwhile…
On the Idrila's Rare Vessel.
Because of the emergency, the operator made a mistake.
The distress signal, originally intended for a specific recipient, was transmitted as a wide-range broadcast signal.
The advantage was broader coverage.
The disadvantage was shorter range.
Lin Yi, of course, had not realized that among the equipment he had installed were several experimental anti-Destruction weapons he had previously created.
And so—
"A distress signal."
"From prey hunted by Destruction."
Argenti looked at the many weapons installed across the ship.
He thought for a moment.
Then—
The Idrila's Rare Vessel changed direction.
"Signal received!"
"Someone answered our distress call!"
The crew erupted in cheers.
A month of uncertainty had weighed heavily on everyone.
A calm, noble voice came through the communicator.
"Beautiful lady and radiant companions."
"Greetings."
"May you have faith in Idrila."
Dongfang Qiqing blinked.
"…A Knight of Beauty?"
"And… Sir Knight, are you alone?"
Before Argenti could answer, Xiaoyou spoke urgently.
"Sir Knight!"
"The Antimatter Legion is almost here!"
"You're alone—you can't possibly save all of us!"
"Please use our private communication channel to send a rescue request."
"And please take Miss Dongfang away first."
"We would be deeply grateful."
"I understand."
Argenti nodded.
"The communication link has been established."
"Long-range sensors are now shared with your vessel."
"You may send the distress signal yourselves."
"I will attempt to intercept the Legion."
"But…"
Argenti tilted his head slightly.
"…Wouldn't it be simpler for you to board my ship first?"
Xiaoyou fell silent.
She realized she had panicked.
The Legion was getting closer.
Once they noticed the stranded ship—
They accelerated rapidly.
There wasn't enough time to evacuate everyone.
Someone would still need to hold the line.
Normally—
Argenti would raise the Crown of Protection, wield the Lance of Beauty, and charge forward in the name of Beauty.
But today—
He wanted to try something new.
For example—
The many ship-mounted weapons installed across the vessel.
Argenti took out a paper manual.
Yes.
A paper manual.
The weapon instruction guide.
The weapons also had electronic instructions and an automated AI system.
But relying on AI…
Wasn't very beautiful.
"Ah… this must be the activation button for the Arc Cannon."
Argenti pressed the button labeled:
"Real Men Use Pink — Arc Cannon 4.3."
Two small pink turrets extended from the ship's hull.
They fired two red-and-purple energy spheres.
The spheres collided within the Voidranger formation—
And exploded into dazzling pink lightning.
Electric arcs spread through space.
Each Voidranger struck by the arcs was transformed—
Turning into another glowing rose of energy.
Rose after rose bloomed across the battlefield.
Expanding outward.
Spreading like a field of flowers.
In the silent vacuum of space—
A beautiful yet deadly garden of roses blossomed.
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