"Gerlos is fighting the Alien King."
As Muria flew out of the carriage to confront the Alien King, the members of the Douglas family also disembarked one after another. They understood they could not intervene in a battle of this level, yet their pride as scions of a prominent family did not allow them to flee while Muria held the Alien King at bay. Thus, they could only stand on the sidelines, watching anxiously.
"That's an Alien King. Do you think my brother will be okay?" The girl with ash-gray hair had a face full of worry. To her, the Alien King represented the pinnacle of individual power in this world.
Though her brother was an extraordinary prodigy, advancing at a speed that left others in awe, she knew he was not yet a match for an Alien King. He still needed time to grow.
As she spoke, the first clash between Muria and the Alien King erupted. Rings of light, blending purple and white, radiated outward in shockwaves, transforming the entire sky into a mercurial, stormy ocean.
"Gerlos truly is amazing. Even an Alien King can't easily deal with him," a young man marveled sincerely as he saw Muria holding his own in the initial clash with the Alien King.
Some of the young women, mesmerized by the grand and awe-inspiring spectacle, could not help but gaze at Muria with stars in their eyes. The worry on their faces gave way to expressions of admiration.
"Do you think the Alien King will retreat since it can't overwhelm Gerlos?" A girl named Betty asked while observing the sky. She noticed the Alien King seemed to pause and exchange words with Muria, though the distance made it impossible to hear their conversation.
"They're fighting again!"
After a brief exchange of words, the Douglas family members saw the Alien King strike once more, its massive purple hand descending. Muria countered with a punch that yielded results beyond anyone's imagination.
They watched as Muria's dazzling white fist pierced through the purple cloud-hand and struck the Alien King directly.
"Yes! He landed a hit!" Victor, who had already sworn loyalty to Muria, cheered excitedly as if he had been the one to strike the Alien King.
"If I'm not mistaken, Gerlos just punched the Alien King's face, right?" Robert, who had donned a star armor to enhance his view of the battle, asked hesitantly.
He found it almost reckless to directly strike the face of such a fearsome existence, though he couldn't deny the satisfaction it brought.
"You're not mistaken. Gerlos hit the Alien King square in the face."
"This will definitely enrage the Alien King." A young woman looked at the pieces of chitinous shell falling from the sky, dripping with black blood, and expressed her concern.
Everyone knew the Alien King's earlier attacks had been casual strikes. Now that Muria had struck its face, there was no doubt the Alien King would be furious.
As if confirming her fears, the purple-black clouds in the sky churned violently, resembling a world enraged. From within the swirling clouds, countless spears of purple light began to materialize, launching one after another toward Muria in an unrelenting barrage.
"Brother!"
"Gerlos!"
"Boss!"
The spectators cried out in alarm as the storm of purple spears engulfed Muria, obscuring his figure entirely.
But moments later, sharp beams of white sword light erupted from within the sphere of spears, slicing through the oppressive darkness. The light illuminated the sky, blazing with brilliance and radiating Muria's unyielding spirit.
"Don't worry too much," a young man among the Douglas family's members said calmly. He had recently graduated from university and, after discussing with his parents, received the seed of martial energy from Muria. A white energy wheel spun slowly in his abdomen as he spoke. "Gerlos hasn't even drawn upon our power to fight. He's still holding back. He hasn't reached his limit yet and can definitely keep fighting the Alien King."
"Yeah! The boss can still handle it. He's incredible—no wonder I've decided to follow him for life!"
"Quit joking around. Gerlos might be able to hold off the Alien King now, but he's not yet strong enough to win. Give him ten more years, and maybe he could defeat or even kill an Alien King. But it's too early for that now."
"The Alien King is shameless—an ancient being bullying someone who isn't even a fraction of its age."
"It's precisely because Gerlos has achieved so much at such a young age that the Alien King feels threatened. Otherwise, a being like the Alien King wouldn't bother showing up."
"What should we do? We can't help Muria. Are we just supposed to stand here and watch?"
"Don't worry. This level of commotion will definitely draw the Empire's attention. This is still Imperial territory, and the Empire won't sit idly by. It won't be long before a Thrones-ranked star armor master comes to assist."
"A Thrones-ranked star armor master? Are we actually going to see someone like that? That's exciting!"
"What's so exciting? Give my boss enough time, and he'll surpass those so-called star armor masters. He'll become a legendary Martial Emperor and crush them easily."
Victor's face turned sour as he heard others express admiration for the star armor masters. He had already become Muria's most devoted supporter.
Just then, a deep wolf-like howl echoed across the dark plain. Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a massive black dog, wreathed in flames of blood, ripping through the train's steel roof to emerge. It placed its paws on the roof, tilted its head, and howled at the sky.
The crowd watched in disbelief as the black dog stepped onto the air and ran toward the battlefield, leaving a trail of flames in its wake.
"That dog can run on air?" Victor gawked, his mouth wide open in astonishment.
"It's my brother's most loyal black dog," the ash-haired girl said, her face lighting up with delight as she saw the dog named Sylvan join the fight to support Muria.
"If I'm not mistaken, only Lord-level beings can disregard their species and fly. Has this dog reached Lord level?"
"Unless our eyes are playing tricks, it seems so."
"Wait, if even this dog has reached Lord level, what about the other creatures Gerlos keeps? I remember they were all of similar strength. This dog was the weakest of them. If even the weakest has grown so strong, the others must be formidable too, right?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the train cars holding Muria's other pets were torn apart one by one. Enormous beasts emerged—a massive serpent covered in gleaming scales slithered into the air, a hulking bear the size of a hill strode on air as if walking on solid ground…
One after another, Muria's pets joined the fray, attacking the Alien King alongside him. The spectacle left the spectators utterly dumbfounded.
"Never thought there'd come a day when I'd be less capable than a dog," Victor muttered as he watched Sylvan, who was quickly knocked down from the sky.
"Gerlos really trained an amazing dog. Even after getting beaten so badly, it's still charging back into the fight!" another young man marveled, seeing the black-scaled hound, bleeding profusely, yet returning to the battlefield.
"Sylvan may be ugly and the weakest, but it's incredibly loyal. It was the first to rush out. When I get back, I'm getting a black-scaled hound of my own."
...
Meanwhile, in the Empire, within a palatial compound as lavish as a royal palace, a young man reclined by a vast swimming pool. Surrounded by attendants, he reviewed a report, snorted coldly, and leapt to his feet.
"An Alien King dared to enter Imperial territory? How bold. Do they think we old fogies don't matter anymore? Hmph, if they've come, they better prepare to stay."
The youth donned a sleek black armor, then pressed his hand forward. Space around him shattered into a gaping rift. Without hesitation, he stepped into it, heading straight toward the coordinates provided by the Empire.
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