After Dain and Thyra left Ceperet, they returned to their home planet a few stars away. The journey back was not fast, taking around 25 years.

Dain sighed as he looked at the distant greyish-blue planet. The swirling clouds made the world look mesmerizing, like a storm trapped in a sphere, floating in the nothingness of space. Thyra looked at Dain and hugged his arm. "Dain, I told you, don't worry that much. I'll make sure to speak with my parents."

Dain blinked and looked at Thyra with a gentle look. He sighed as he caressed the woman's face. "Thyra, we lost the war in Ceperet. While it would usually not be that big of a deal, once Tianlian Liu Shu's specialness is well known, we will be in trouble."

Thyra frowned. "There are still many centuries to prepare for her reaching out beyond her local star. Once we report it, the higher-ups will be thankful and reward us. Let's think more positively!"

Dain smiled wryly. He led the Abyssal Void Nexus for many years, but eventually, the global superpower fell under his management. There were a thousand excuses he could make, but there were also a thousand reasons to condemn this preventable failure. "I just… I hope that Tianlian Liu Shu has not completed the Level 100 breakthrough before we return."

Thyra blinked and then laughed. "How can that be? True World Trees need hundreds of years to evolve. Not to mention, taking over that entire world won't be that easy with the Covenant people still residing there."

Dain frowned, feeling a bad premonition. "Right. What if she allies with the Covenant? Won't we be giving an anchor to that power to spread from that remote solar system?"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt their current situation was dangerous. He looked at Thyra and spoke firmly. "Thyra, we must convince the higher-ups from the Eclipsed Nexus Guardians to send <Sixth Energy Cycles> at the very least."

"Are you crazy?" Thyra asked, baffled at his sudden spur. "This is not something that you can ask at will. There is a chance we are heavily punished just for suggesting it!"

Dain's face gained a touch of anger. "Wasn't that the very same thought process that led to that World Tree getting so strong that we couldn't even face it? The day she arrived at our main continent, she destroyed everything! Even Noxilva, that Level 99 Corrupted World Tree we so very painfully nurtured, fell like a dry branch under pressure!"

Thyra was a bit startled at his burst. She lowered her head, and Dain noticed her hurt expression. He sighed and hugged the woman in his arms. "Thyra, love, I understand that you are worried about me. But have you thought about what would happen when that World Tree becomes strong enough to face the higher-ups of the Abyssal Void Nexus?"

Thyra frowned. "She… wouldn't annihilate all life in our stars, right?"

Dain snorted, his deep-seated hatred and disgust towards World Trees blossoming. "Why not? Those parasitic beings who devour all natural life don't care about things that don't listen to them. They are just tyrannical beings with no regard for life, full of selfishness."

Thyra looked at Dain's face and sighed softly. Lifting her face, she kissed him once on the lips and spoke softly. "Dain… Can you at least not be too insistent? You try to warn them, but if they ignore you, then ignore them. Either way, we might not even be alive by the time Tianlian Liu Shu arrives, right?"

Dain asked softly. "What about our future children?"

Thyra gained a bashful look as she played with Dain's big hand. "That… Well, to have children, we must first be alive and healthy, right?"

Dain surrendered. "Alright, I will do my best, but I won't push too much. If they don't listen, that's their problem. I will just give them the detailed report I've written over the last few years."

A female voice reached them from the mechanical speaker. "We will arrive at <Eclipse World> in 3 days. Please prepare all your luggage and go to the safe room. Planetary reentry might be turbulent, so don't panic."

Three days later, Dain and Thyra landed on the surface of the planet. The environment was neither fresh nor contaminated. If one had to describe it, the word "stale" would be quite fitting. The city in front of them had high-rise buildings, all built with concrete and other mineral mixes. On the streets, various advanced machinery could be seen roaming.

The people walking along the sidewalk wore calm expressions, while their steps were slightly hurried but not rushed. Thyra felt somewhat nostalgic. "It has been a while…"

Then, she couldn't help but mutter. "Why don't we send a few advanced spatial crafts to take over worlds like Ceperet? I've heard that there are a few military tools with enough strength to put Level 100 people to shame, right?"

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Dain spoke lightly, having learned about these things during his stay in Ceperet. "Their destructive power is too indiscriminate. We could, in fact, kill a World Tree like Verdant Skyflower with a few military-grade rune-weapons. Nevertheless, a world without the boost of a <True World Tree> is too fragile."

Thyra hummed. "I see." She was from a wealthy family and sent to Ceperet to train herself. So, she wasn't really knowledgeable about some things. All her efforts were focused on increasing her personal power and gaining experience.

Dain shook his head. "Anyway, let's place our reports and then go back to your residency. What do you think?"

Thyra hugged his arm with a big smile. "Alright!"

It didn't take long, but once the receptionist noticed that they lost control of one World, he looked at Dain and Thyra with a scowl. "You still have the face to return? Shameless, you should've died defending the last bastion in that world."

Thyra's face instantly contorted. "You! How dare you speak like that when you know nothing about our enemies! With the resources we had, we did well enough maintaining a broken power that lasted for over five millennia!"

The receptionist scoffed. "Five thousand years of effort went down the drain because of your incompetence. Continue making excuses; you'll see how the rest of the world receives your achievements."

Thyra's face turned red, but Dain grabbed her hand. "Don't get agitated. They will know what happened once they read the report. Arguing with ignorant people will only anger you."

The receptionist glared at Dain. "A local from a backwater world speaking high and mighty? You might as well howl to the skies so that everyone knows how arrogant you are."

Dain sneered. "Is your ego a bit bruised? How about you stop spouting shit and get done with the job?"

The receptionist looked at Dain coldly before snorting. "Sure. I'll do my job."

Dain frowned, but he couldn't say anything as the receptionist turned and left with his documents. Thyra was clenching her fists. "When I return home, I'll make sure to find who that person is."

Dain didn't say anything, only feeling somewhat uncomfortable about that man's last look.

Without anything else to do, they walked out of the branch government building.

"You two. I've been waiting."

Thyra and Dain frowned and looked sideways. There, a tall man with a muscular body and a profound aura was looking at them, arms crossed. "You are all from that forsaken world, Ceperet. Right? I heard the news that the defeated would return today."

Thyra, her mood already sour because of her previous interaction, snapped. "And who are you now? If you dare to make trouble, I'll make sure you regret it!"

The man glanced at her indifferently, making Dain's body tense. "I am the father of a girl who perished on that world. Her name is Eryndis. Does it ring any bells?"

Thyra and Dain paused, their eyebrows furrowing. Thyra was someone who took over the confrontations against the Covenant back in Ceperet, so she was unaware. On the other side, Dain had some recollection of that name, but not much.

After all, the number of subordinates he controlled as the Abyssal Void Nexus's Leader in Ceperet was not small. The man squinted when he saw the woman stare blankly at him. Then, when the Dain showed a hint of familiarity, but with clear doubt behind his eyes, his fists clenched. "No wonder, no wonder. With superiors as incompetent as you two, it is no wonder that she died in such a remote corner of the universe. A talent like her is wasted because of a bunch of inept leaders."

Thyra frowned deeply. "And who are you to speak like that to me?"

The man spoke imposingly. "I am Altherion Veylgrave."

He didn't say anything else, since he understood that his name was enough to be known by Thyra. Dain was still clueless, but when he noticed Thyra's body tense as her face turned bloodless, he knew that he was a big shot. "L-Lord Altherion!? The Star Lord who conquered over five star systems by yourself?"

Altherion snorted once, his silver eyes shining dangerously. "At least you are not completely clueless, daughter of the Nopace Family." He glanced at Dain's tense expression and asked. "Tell me, what happened in Ceperet? How and why did my daughter die?"

Dain was honestly unsure. Eryndis's name didn't really ring a bell. After all, most of the Wild Continent matters went uninformed for the lost time, losing plenty of information. Liu Shu's ability to annihilate the armies that bothered her also kept a lot of secrets hidden and unable to be unearthed.

Honestly, compared to the whole story, Dain was unsure if he even recorded it with 20% accuracy. Seeing his tense expression, Altherion already guessed what this man was thinking. Eryndis was probably ambushed in a place of minor importance, so the leader managing Ceperet didn't pay attention, or it didn't even receive a report about it.

Pain flashed in his heart, his stern face looking lost. 'I lost my precious daughter just like that?'

Like something stuck in his throat, unable to be coughed or swallowed, Altherion grimaced and turned around. He could kill Dain and Thyra, but so what? He was a cunning man and knew that venting his anger on these two people was an utterly senseless act.

Seeing the tall and powerful person leave, Dain asked Thyra silently. "Since he is a Star Lord… Does that mean that he is a <Sixth Energy Cycle>?"

Thyra nodded solemnly. "He is particularly powerful as well. While he looks human, he is from a morphling species. He was a former human who underwent <First Ascension> and changed races, gaining terrifying power. From what I know, his manipulation ability doesn't end in just body parts, but reaches out into energy manipulation realms. I also heard that he has four True World Tree kills under his belt."

Dain looked at his back thoughtfully. 'With him… Perhaps…'

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