The old man left behind a lot of questions that needed to be answered even after his death. I returned to The Royale Palace and went straight to my bedroom. I laid down on my Bed, stared at the Ceiling, and Started Thinking.
External Forces... That means I'm not the strongest being in the universe. I was Terrified and Excited at the same time. If something created the Old Man it must be Unbelievably powerful. Whatever it was, I never encountered it. I was thinking about all of it. Now that I killed Their Creation, would they seek revenge? Or would they Ignore it? First the Multiverse and Now External forces Outside of my universe. These Creatures most likely had Multiversal Power, maybe they could also Rewrite reality. Hell, they could even be Omnipresent. I do not know anything about them and it was scaring me. Ever since Katie Summoned me things have changed. My Boredom is gone and Fear Changed it.
I decided to talk to Michael About My Thoughts. Of course, he wouldn't like the fact that I kept his father as a prisoner, but what would he do? He accepted the fact that he was dead 1000 years ago. Even though I see him as a Potential threat, he is the only person I can talk to. He always could give me good Advice.
I told Despirus to Prepare a small fleet. The course was the Heavens. No one could access the holy land with mere spaceships. Most of the time I was using Teleportation, but this time I decided to bring Katie with me. She was in the Royale Palace for the past two years, learning the ways of magic. She could already control Elements and Mana inside her body. Even though I could only see her a few times a year, I could see her personal growth. I could feel that she would become a strong Sorcerer.
She was happy when I told her we were going on a space Voyage. She was excited. For a person who never left her Homeworld, it was quite natural. Katie was a Girl who was Curious about everything. She even befriended Ramael. Being Angel's friend is not an easy feat, especially when we are talking about such a glorious Warmaster of Angels. I never treated him well, but I had respect for Ramael. He has always been my loyal subordinate. Maybe I should be softer towards my comrade.
Preparations for the Travel were Quick, especially when the crew Found out that I was the one they were supposed to transport. Everyone treated me with Respect. They expected me to be on the Bridge to control the ship. They even prepared a Throne for me to sit, but I rejected the Offer. I did not need such a thing. I just sat on top of the Spaceship and Started meditating. I was mastering my newfound vast power by controlling the flow of the energy. It was not an easy task. After all, I was Nigh Omnipotent, and Managing all this power Required a lot of Willpower which I already had.
And yet, my thoughts disturbed me. I was thinking about the external forces the Old Man mentioned and it made me feel Uneasy.
A few Hours later I sensed a presence beside me. Someone else was sitting next to me. I opened my eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Katie was trying to Meditate as well or was just imitating me.
"I have the same question for you. You are sitting on top of a spaceship."
"I am Meditating, Katie."
"Meditating?"
"Yes. I'm trying to make the flow of energy Steady in my body so I can use my power more efficiently."
"I see."
"Stop trying. Someone of your age cannot achieve the state of mind where you can see the flow of mana, let alone shape the course of it."
Her eyes were closed. She had a calm expression on her face.
"Ugh, Stupid Girl..."
I just closed my eyes and Calm my Mind. I could see the Red flow going through my Body. It was devastating, yet calm and organized.
Suddenly, I noticed some kind of pressure. I looked right without opening my eyes. I could see the Yellow Mana inside Katie's body. She was Controlling its flow as well. I was impressed. She was such a young girl and she managed to do this.
"You're going to become a great sorcerer," I whispered to myself and Smiled as I used Telekinesis and lifted her in the air without her noticing. I flew down from the top of the ship and went inside it from a huge entrance.
Soon we left the Royale Palace. Katie was on the Command Bridge and was checking out everything. Most of the time she was looking out from the Windows and looked at my Domicile as it became smaller and Smaller. Her eyes were shining from Enjoyment.
"Katie, come with me." I left the bridge. She followed without a word.
Soon we arrived at the space ship Hangar. She was checking out all the Jet Fighters with utmost care.
"Do you like them?"
"Yes!" She Replied and almost patted the Fighter Jet.
"Do you want to Fly with it?"
"But I do not know how..."
I snapped my finger. My Knowledge has been sent into her Brain and she instantly understood how to fly the Jet. She was Dizzy at first, but soon recovered and smiled.
"Can I fly it now? Will anyone be mad?" She asked.
"This is my Ship. My fleet. Who would dare to be mad at you?"
She giggled and climbed on the Jet. Soon she started its Engine and Turned it towards the Open space. Blue Energy field was making the Hangar stable and safe from Cosmic Pressure. Soon her Machine left the Spaceship and Flew Into the Void. I also Summoned my Angel's wings and Followed her. She was having fun. The way her Jet was Flying was Delicate and Beautiful. We made a few circles around our fleet when I heard an Emergency Signal from Far away. Someone was saying something about Space Pirates. I teleported behind Katie and took the seat of the Second Pilot.
"Looks like someone is under attack by Space Pirates," I told her as I summoned my Galactic telephone from the Pocket Space.
She almost Lost Control of the Jet from the Shock, but soon managed to get herself together.
I made a call. The Captain of our ship Promised to find the Source of the emergency signal and assured me that they would join us as soon as possible, while we went ahead with the Jet.
Soon the Emergency Signal became louder. I also heard Screaming and the sounds of Blasters. Looks like it was a robbery.
We reached our destination in a few minutes. It wasn't very far away. There were two Ships in front of us. One of them was a Huge, Pitch black Battleship, while the second one was a small one that looked more like a trade ship. Everything was clear. The Space Pirates.
"I will go in. You save these Coordinates and return to the Ship. Tell the Captain to aid me as soon as possible. I will need Clean up."
"No, I can Help! I know how to fight with this thing. I can help this time!"
"Katie, It's unnecessary. These are just Space Pirates. They pose no threat to me. I'm just going to Dispose of them and return to the ship. Do not worry about me. Go back to the Ship so Our fleet can take in all the Survivors from the small ship."
"Harold, let me help! We can do this together!"
"Katie! People are dying because of us right now. We have no time to argue. Just do what I tell you to do. I know what I'm doing. you have your role right now. Go back."
I didn't add anything as I teleported outside of the Jet and Flew Toward the small Ship. The Black Battleship started blasting Katie's Jet. She was still standing Still. I shielded her with my Magic Wall. Finally, she Understood everything and Turned the steering wheel. She left.
"Good... She's growing."
The Battleship was very familiar. I knew that I'd seen it somewhere. It was Luekas. He was my friend a long time ago. When I left the earth and Started roaming an entire cosmos, slaughtering gods, he decided to take me in. He helped me a lot to become stronger. The Chrimson Devourer was very Greedy. No matter how much blood it absorbed, it was never enough, but his ship's engines were always ready.
I didn't want to kill my old friend, so I teleported right to their control bridge. He didn't look surprised. All of his subordinates aimed their blasters at me.
"Put your guns down, morons. Don't you know who this is?" Said Luekas and Stood up.
His Men looked confused, but they obeyed the order.
"Harold, My old friend. You look great."
"So do you. Looks like my gift didn't expire."
"Yes, the immortality you granted me has been very useful to me. I Built a huge battleship and have a lot of power throughout the entire pirate world."
"I'm glad that you are doing well, Luekas, But I have a request for you."
"You want me to Withdraw my troops, correct? You want no one to be harmed on the little ship."
"Indeed."
"You know that I cannot do that, my old friend. This is the way pirates live. We steal, we fight and we kill."
"No more. Withdraw your troops, My old friend. I do not want any kind of Conflict."
"And what will I get if I will fulfill your request?"
"Ugh..." I released a long sigh. He was still as greedy as ever. He has been doing the same thing for 1.5 million years, couldn't he just become a little wiser? Confronting me was a total suicide. Looks like he still saw me as a young little boy who was following his orders. "What do you want?"
"5 Billion Galactic Credits. I know that you can afford it. I heard the news. You run the Royale Palace now, Isn't that right?"
"If you know that why are you doing all of this? You know that You will die."
"Yes, But You have changed. You are not the cold-blooded murderer you once were. You don't want to kill anyone. You want Peace, don't you?"
"How about this Kind of offer, old friend... You withdraw your troops and I will let you live. Also, no more robbery and Slaughter. If you want to find a new purpose for your people, battleship, and yourself, visit the Royale Palace. I will Assign you as an honorable commander as a sign of respect. You helped me a lot in the past and I never forgot it. If it wasn't you, Luekas, any pirate who would dare to disrespect me like this would be dead."
"We are Pirates, Harold. It's our only purpose. We rob and we kill."
"If your Life is more important than a single coin, you will think about my offer. Do you wish to die that much?"
"What if I said yes?"
"I will gladly fulfill your wish."
"Do it. All of this is getting so boring. The immortality that you granted me did me more harm than good. Did you curse me or gift me, Harold?"
"Wasn't it what you wished for, you ungrateful bastard?!" I snapped and pulled the Blaster of the Hellfire. The Weapon is forged into hell by Baal And Lucifer. It was spitting Hellfire which could burn even the souls of the targets. Hellfire was a very dangerous substance. Even I was afraid of interacting with it once upon a time, this blaster turned into a weapon. I used it to kill Hermes, the God of Speed. Poor little Deity thought he could outrun me since he could run so fast but no one could escape me. Once you are in my vision and have ill intentions, you are dead.
I aimed at Luekas. His comrades aimed their guns at me once again. "You wished for immortality!"
"I made a mistake. I didn't realize how terrible it was."
"You just want me to kill you?"
"I want 5 billion credits. Death is what you are offering. Either I will follow my gut as a pirate or I Will die. It is a good way to die, in my opinion."
"It is a stupid way to die, I will tell you that."
"It's about Perspective."
"I'm sick of these games. I tried to be a good friend and a benevolent Leader, but you left me no choice. Goodbye, Luekas."
I pulled the trigger. Unimaginable Heat escaped the Blaster and melted the Stupid man's Body in an instant. The Power of the Blaster was too much. It destroyed half of the ship in 2 seconds. His Pitiful subordinates didn't even have a chance to fire their guns. It was over in an instant. The Pitch black Battleship on which I spent nearly 700000 years was destroyed. I felt bad for Luekas and myself as well, but there was no other way. This foolish man was too Greedy.
I was already levitating in the space. The Ship's debris was flying everywhere. I couldn't hear barks of blasters and screams. I flew in the little ship's direction and teleported inside. The Power was almost out. Only faint lights were left. I used my thermal vision to see warm bodies in the dark. I followed the corridor. A few foolish guys blasted me with their guns but my skin was harder than the planets themselves and it just deflected hot beams of energy. They seemed terrified.
"If you want to live drop your guns. " I told them and pulled out the Kyuushi, the legendary Katana from Earth. I visited my homeworld a few times during my long life. It was still a barbaric age when I left the earth. I went back there after 700 years and Visited Japan. I was astonished by the rules of Samurais. Their Self Control and Morales were on another level, but the way they could use this Delicate weapon Called Katana was simply beautiful. I learned the way of this sword by a Wise man called Takeshiro. He was a leader of the Black Leaf Clan and Always respected me. The Kyuushi itself was emanating Blue Energy that stored countless souls of the Foes I have slain throughout Centuries and Just a slice of it could kill anyone or anything. "You have no power here. Luekas Is dead. Your crew has been slain. If you will do as I say I will let you live."
Terrified young men immediately dropped their Laser Guns and Kneeled. Seems like they were smarter than Luekas. I was glad. I spared four human souls today. I was... Proud of myself.
They led me to a big Room where they Gathered all the Survivors of the Little ship. I could only count 68 people. I was damn sure that a ship like this needed at least 500 people to maintain it. Luekas... You haven't changed until the very last moment, have you...
"Is anyone Harmed in here?" I addressed the survivors and Put Kyuushi in the Pocket Space. "If so, please don't hide your injuries. I am no enemy of yours. I came to your rescue. These men shall not harm you." I pointed my finger toward the Pirates who didn't have any will to kill anyone anymore.
Survivors seemed Frightened but they managed to recover from their shock soon. A few people were bleeding because of ricocheted blasters. Some had internal injuries and Some had lost limbs. Truly a gruesome scene. I was glad Katie didn't have to see this.
I healed everyone I could. Soon I heard the sounds of an engine. It was the jet Fighter. Katie was back?
I Left the room and Scanned the space outside with my eyes. It was her alongside with our fleet. She did well. She brought it back up. I pulled the Phone from the Pocket Space and Rang to the Commander on the bridge.
"Yes, my lord. We have arrived. Your Guest gave us Coordinates and Warped right away. How can we assist you? Are the pirates still active?" He bombarded me with a lot of questions.
"Commander, the Pirates are dead. I need a little ship to take in the Survivors. There are 68 in total plus a few pirates who were smart enough to drop their weapon. Take them in and Provide them with Medical care and Food. Also, do not differentiate the Pirates from everyone else. Consider them as Refugees as well."
"Understood, I will send a ship right away. Also, what about the Black Battleship, my lord? Are you positive that there are no Pirates left?"
"I believe I can leave that much to you, commander. Send a few Groups of Soldiers and make sure. I will lead the survivors to safety for now."
"Understoo, my lord. It shall be done."
I hung up, Returned the Phone to the Pocket space, and returned to the Survivors' room.
"Who is the Leader here" I spoke.
"He has been killed." A lady spoke. She was sitting on the floor. Judging from her Uniform she must have been an officer.
"Are you the highest-ranking officer now?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
"Okay, report your original course and course of events. Where were you headed and for what reason?"
"We were transporting Supplies to an isolated planet called Yuria. It was a Direct order from the Director of the GRID, Lord Koyus."
"I see. And You have been ambushed. How many were slain?"
"I'm afraid more than 700 people."
"Truly a shame..."
The Victims of the Bloodthirsty pirate were more than I expected and it made me sad.
"However..." I spoke once again and tried to smile. "I will grant you new ships and Fleet as well. You can return to the Polyus and Report the Situation to the GRID's Higher Ups. Tell them that Lord Harold Saved you. There will be no one to blame and you shall be given a Good Compensation for your work."
"Lord... Harold? My lord... Are you..."
"Yes, I'm the Emperor."
"I apologize for my Indecent tone. I wasn't aware that such a great being was in front of me. Please, accept my deepest Apologies."
"No need. I do not need praise. Just do as I say. Also, please, do not blame these men for the Monstocity that happened here." I pointed my finger towards the Ex-Pirates again. They seemed even more terrified than before. "Order is an order. They were just pawns."
"But I saw the smile on his face when he Blasted my Comrade." A woman screamed and Pointed her finger towards one of the Pirate boys. "I am sure that he enjoyed what he did, my lord. How can we just forget about it?!"
"I do not want you to hold a grudge against each other. Please, forgive them. I am sure that they will become better." I looked at them With a smile that terrified them. I also played a small Mind Tricks with their Brains so they could remember my words forever. None of them would ever even think about touching a Gun.
Soon an average size of spaceship Docked for us. Commander sent his men. Medics and Soldiers entered Dark corridors. They took the survivors inside and treated them carefully. Everyone was respectful towards me. I also entered their ship and Continued Healing injured people. When the soldiers finished checking both ships, we flew into the cold void. We left both ships behind.
I watched how both ships became smaller and Smaller. I couldn't just leave them hanging in the frozen space forever. I teleported outside and went back towards the Wreckage of these two metal chunks.
"700000 years... I had a long history with this ship... And It has been destroyed so easily." I thought to myself. "Luekas, you old dog. Why couldn't you just change... You were like a father to me..."
I pointed my palm forward and concentrated my divine energy. Soon a Black Hole Appeared between both Shipwrecks and Sucked them inside. I watched as a huge part of my memories disintegrated and Felt nostalgic, melancholic, and sad even.
"What's in the past stays in the Past. Goodbye,Luekas. You were never a good man and you died as a dog. Such a good way to die for a pirate."
I watched until the end. The black hole devoured the ships. Its huge black mouth was also reaching for me but I just snapped my finger and It disappeared as well.
What's in the past stays in the past. I was no longer a pirate. No longer a brute and cold-blooded murderer. I was better. I would be better. For every innocent being's sake.