Chapter 80: I Command You!

Upon returning to the HMS Silence, Hel was about to speak, but Li Yu stopped her. He made a hushing gesture and pointed at the black metal block in his hand.

The Ten-Eyed Giant understood. A tiny metallic flying mosquito emerged from beneath his black robes and landed on the metal block, bathing it entirely in a blue fluorescent light.

"There are no listening or surveillance devices," the Ten-Eyed Giant said.

Li Yu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Quickly start the engines. Put all power into breaking through the space lockdown."

Hel issued the command with suspicion, then looked at Li Yu. "What did you say over there? Did Dark Star agree to let us leave?"

"How is that possible?" Li Yu looked at Hel in astonishment. "Dark Star is not an idiot. Why would he agree?"

"Then what did you go over there for?" Hel suppressed her anger, feeling as though she had been played for a fool.

Xia En glanced at Hel, whose expression was steadily souring, and suddenly felt a burst of amusement in his heart. 'You are getting tortured by him too, huh? Haha...'

"To prove that Dark Star is not an idiot," Li Yu said faintly. He could hardly admit that he had just gone over to put a hex on the man.

As the HMS Silence restarted, inside the main ship cabin of the Dark Star fleet, Dark Star's eyes were somewhat unfocused, and the corners of his mouth suddenly curled up slightly.

"Your Excellency, the HMS Silence has started up again," Pachis reported, before coldly barking out, "What is that Li whatever-his-name-is doing? Why hasn't he activated the nerve gas yet?!"

Dark Star did not respond at all; his eyes remained somewhat unfocused.

Inside the HMS Silence, Li Yu ignored Hel's murderous glare and said to the Ten-Eyed Giant, "Connect me to Dark Star."

All ten eyeballs blinked. 'Why are you so practiced at ordering me around?'

"There is no need."

A hollow voice suddenly echoed through the room. Li Yu shivered, nearly dropping the black metal block in his hand.

A drop of scarlet liquid dripped from the crevices of the metal block onto the ship cabin floor. It immediately began to squirm, expanding out of thin air to form a sphere, and continued to swell.

The sphere was smooth and translucent, looking much like jelly, but it reminded Li Yu of something else entirely: a slime.

The scarlet jelly sphere began to stretch out, transforming into a humanoid shape. It was actually Dark Star!

The Black Knights stepped forward in unison to surround Dark Star, while Hel immediately retreated.

Dark Star paid them no mind and simply scanned his surroundings.

Xia En prayed inwardly, 'You cannot see me... You cannot see me... You cannot see me...'

Eventually, he found Xia En, who was huddled in the corner in a rather awkward posture.

"Your Highness," Dark Star said. His expression froze for a brief moment, but he still offered a polite nod.

Xia En was utterly speechless.

He then turned his gaze to Li Yu. "You truly did not disappoint my expectations."

In an instant, the way Hel looked at Li Yu completely changed.

"So what comes next? You must have a plan, right? How exactly are you going to make me let you go?" Dark Star asked, an inquisitive look crossing his face.

"How did you guess that I was up to something?" Li Yu asked.

"Guess?" Dark Star shook his head. "There was no need to guess."

"Take Her Highness Hel, for instance. There is no need to analyze her actions. The moment she leaves this place, it means she has found Prince Xia En."

"I do not care what your scheme is. I merely wanted to send my protoplasmic avatar inside. It would have been best if you acted according to what you told me, but if you didn't, it matters little."

Li Yu was struck speechless for a moment. This Dark Star really knew how to exploit a single advantage to counter any trick.

'No matter what you plan, he will just severely bottleneck you at the final step,' Li Yu realized.

"Do you intend to make a move against me?" Hel asked calmly. She had finally realized that Li Yu had not betrayed them.

"No," Dark Star's protoplasmic avatar shook its head. "I went through all the trouble of getting in here precisely so I would not have to fight you."

"Bang!"

His protoplasmic avatar abruptly exploded. Blobs of the jelly-like substance flew in all directions, accurately coating dozens of Black Knights.

The jelly began to spread. No matter what methods the knights tried, it could not be removed. It soon encased their entire bodies, leaving them completely immobilized as if they had been set in superglue.

A faint glow illuminated around Hel's body, as cool and aloof as the First Moon's Dawnlight.

"Your Highness, just how much of your strength can you actually exert here in the Star Glory Empire?" Dark Star's voice echoed as he shook his head.

'What does that mean?' Li Yu wondered. 'Is Hel still a Domain-Bound Spirit? Does she have no power in the Star Glory Empire?'

"Why aren't you attacking me?" Li Yu asked, filled with confusion.

"Because your strength is far too low. You cannot affect the bigger picture," Dark Star ruthlessly exposed the harsh truth.

Li Yu's expression turned peculiar, feeling quite insulted by the remark. His face then turned serious. "Do you want to know what my plan is?"

Dark Star stared at him, inexplicably sensing a shift in Li Yu's aura.

"Dark Star," Li Yu's voice resounded throughout the entire ship. "I command you to launch any form of attack on the HMS Silence!"

"I refuse!" Dark Star instinctively replied. But immediately after, his expression changed drastically as the scarlet jelly began to destabilize.

"Bang!"

In the next moment, he exploded outright. This time, he truly blew apart. The scarlet jelly dissolved into liquid, and the jelly encasing the Black Knights also began to melt away.

Inside Dark Star's main ship, Dark Star's pupils violently contracted. He abruptly slumped over the command console and bellowed, "Hear my command: You are forbidden from launching any attacks on the HMS Silence!"

"Understood!"

A vigorous and resonant voice responded through the communication channel.

'How could this be...' Dark Star's eyes widened in disbelief.

Pachis hurriedly spoke up, clearly confused. "Your Excellency, what happened?"

Dark Star's expression was moody and unpredictable. Various thoughts flashed through his mind, from writing down instructions to transferring the highest authority, yet he found himself completely unable to execute any of them.

'Mental Suggestion!'

'I have been hit with a mental suggestion, but when? How did I fail to notice it entirely?'

'How could anyone possibly plant a mental suggestion without making a single sound?!'

'That man...'

Li Yu's face surfaced in his mind.

"Go fetch the Prism Helmet from my quarters," he finally spat out.

"Right away!" Pachis hastily accepted the order and left.

"Have you been affected by mental power?" Glazed Star stepped forward to ask.

"Most likely," Dark Star nodded, his face dark. "And it is an incredibly high-level one. Any action born from a desire to attack the HMS Silence is impossible for me to carry out."

Glazed Star fell silent. The Dark Star fleet was not comprised of simple marauders; all of the captains listened to the orders of only one man, and that was Dark Star himself.

Since Dark Star had already issued an order prohibiting attacks, no one else's commands could overrule him and direct those captains.

Before long, Pachis walked in carrying a red helmet inlaid with a brilliant purple gemstone.

Dark Star donned the helmet, took a deep breath, and commanded once again, "Hear my command: You are not allowed to attack the HMS Silence in any way!"

"Understood!" It was the same vigorous response, though this time tinged with a hint of confusion as to why the order was being repeated.

'It didn't work?!'

Dark Star was shocked to his core once again. This was a mental-isolation helmet he had bought at an astronomical price, capable of defending against A-grade Mental Power! How could it be useless?

His thoughts raced, and he ultimately issued an unprecedented command: "Stop the HMS Silence from leaving using any means necessary, other than attacking!"

"Understood..."

A chorus of replies sounded out, yet they seemed... utterly devoid of confidence.

Consequently, inside the HMS Silence, everyone witnessed a bizarre scene. The ships of the Dark Star fleet formed a tight perimeter around the HMS Silence, yet they did absolutely nothing.

Well, it was not exactly that they were doing nothing... if broadcasting warning messages counted.

These captains did not care about what monumental consequences would result from letting the enemy escape. They had only one doctrine in mind: obey orders! Regardless of how absurd the orders might be.