Inside the Tartarusios the tension rose high, General Rozasar's demand was unacceptable, but what was more confusing than the entire ordeal was the way Mikhail referred to Youri. The title Duke was one of the highest ranks a noble could possess, and for him to call Youri the Duke of Kaelthorn—that was unheard of. The name Kaelthorn was known throughout the galaxy as a powerhouse of the Terrian Empire, and the current head of the family was none other than General Leonora Kaelthorn—Youri's wife, though the crew still did not know that. In the kitchen Youri lay passed out and in a daze, when suddenly the doors from the hall hissed open. Oscar rushed inside straight to him, grabbing and shaking his body in a desperate attempt to wake him. He even slapped him twice. Youri's eyes snapped open, blurry and irritated. In a sleepy state he looked at Oscar and muttered, "What the hell is going on!?" Oscar replied with genuine panic, "We are surrounded by over a hundred Empire ships out there! They are asking for you! They specifically asked for Duke Youri Kaelthorn!"
Youri slapped his own face, forcing himself awake as the realization hit him like a shockwave. "Shit! Was it Leonora asking!?" Oscar let him go and answered, "It was General Mikhail Rozasar. He made the demand. Just what did you get yourself into!?" Youri brushed him aside and stormed toward the second hangar where Altopereh stood. "It's a long story, Os—I was married into that family." The words struck everyone like a hammer. What Youri said was unbelievable, but the situation left no time for disbelief. Oscar chased after him, shouting for him to stop and get off Altopereh, but he was too late. Youri was already inside. In the cockpit he linked with the systems and initiated the hangar doors. As the second hangar opened, outside the Morphius had already deployed more than thirty orbitons, waiting for Altopereh to emerge and reveal the other two god-orbitons. Then the deafening roar of Altopereh's thrusters sent a shockwave across the Basin of Trass, pushing back several orbitons at the front of the formation, and there it was—the Vanisher.
As Altopereh hovered in midair a message came through to Youri, her voice unmistakable. It was Leonora herself.
A few hours before the Empire's landfall on Antia, Leonora had made her way to the Morphius to issue a request to Mikhail. On the control deck, Emilia, his sister, was present as they discussed final preparations. When the doors opened and Leonora entered, Emilia nearly jumped to attention. She had admired Leonora for years, and now faced her role model. Emilia straightened herself immediately, saluting with stiff precision. "It's an honor to meet you, General," she said, her voice trembling. "You as well, Commander," Leonora replied, returning the salute. She then turned to Mikhail. "General, I wish to request one thing." Mikhail nodded. "Go on, General." Leonora inhaled softly. "I want a direct call to Youri if he deploys. I want to know for myself if it is truly him." Mikhail paused in silence before answering. "General, I know your situation. Out of respect for you, I will grant the request. But you must make the call from your fleet. I cannot have you on the front line—it is too risky." Leonora bowed slightly. "Thank you, General. You have my deepest gratitude." She returned to her forces hidden behind Antia's twin moons. As she watched the screens displaying the conflict below, her heart sank. Altopereh appeared. The rumors were true.
She immediately ordered the communications officer to patch her through to the Morphius. Mikhail granted her the line. She sat, hands trembling, staring at the silent screen. Finally, the call connected—voice only. Leonora slowly stood, disappointed to see no video feed. She exhaled, biting her lip, and spoke softly, "Not even a glimpse, huh? Now I'm sure it's you."
Lowering her gaze briefly before lifting it again, she continued, her voice steady but tender, "I didn't mean those last words you heard from me. And I know you know that. If there's still a place for me in that scattered heart of yours… surrender and come with us. This truly is your last warning."
There was no answer for several long minutes. Altopereh hovered silently, unmoving—so still it made the battlefield tense. Then its hand twitched, the massive fingers rising and pointing toward the moons' position. Youri's voice finally came through. "I'm sorry, but surrender is not an option." And at that moment the battle began.
Altopereh vanished.
In less than a heartbeat it reappeared atop the Morphius, plasma blade ignited, ready to slice the flagship clean in half. Altopereh's movement was a blur—space folded around it like ripples chasing a stone. As the blade came down, a flash of silver tore across its trajectory. A steel wing intercepted the strike, stopping it an inch from the hull—scraping, sparking, shrieking. Perciosa had entered the battle.
Inside the cockpit, Anemone's excitement boiled over. The velocity, the precision—Altopereh was matching Perciosa's speed. "Hey Max—this is gonna be fun!" she shouted as she used Perciosa's clawed limbs to shove Altopereh backwards with a forceful, grinding impact.
In the next second Sirius materialized behind Altopereh, his arm outstretched. The ground trembled—massive rock pillars launched like artillery at light-speed velocity, slamming into Altopereh's back and shoulders. The blows struck one after another, driving the Vanisher downward. It spiraled like a meteor, crashing headfirst into the surface and exploding into a towering dust mushroom.
But that wasn't the end.
High above, Perciosa ascended and fired a sonic beam into the dust cloud, clearing it instantly. The air rippled. The blast washed the ground clean—revealing not Altopereh, but a mound of pulverized rock.
"Be careful, Ane," Maximilian warned. "I think he went underground. Don't let him get you by surprise." "Come on, Max," she scoffed. "I think we hit him so hard we buried him. No way that guy can catch me off guard—" A shadow fell over them.
Too late.
The Vanisher had entered sync mode.