Chapter 404: Beware of Dog, Do Not Approach

On the edge of the Vital Star Sector, on the highest observation deck of the flagship "Monarch," Cassandra stood still like a statue.

The distant starry sky had lost its once magnificent order.

Those Wizard warships, which were originally arranged neatly like a steel forest, now floated scattered in the void, like withered branches ravaged by a hurricane.

Every ship shadow was telling the pain of failure.

The metal fragments left by the explosion shimmered in the starlight, like a shattered mirror reflecting desperate light.

Occasionally, a few severely damaged frigates drifted past slowly.

The cracks on the hull were shocking, and the distorted internal structures and solidified blood could be seen vaguely inside.

"Great Wizard Melvis’s Third Fleet has begun to retreat. Their communications officer claims they need to 're-evaluate tactical value'."

Cassandra did not turn around, just stroked the surface of the observation window.

The living crystal trembled slightly under her touch, as if it could feel the anger in her heart.

"Evaluate?"

Her voice was terrifyingly calm, but those who knew her well knew that this calmness was often the calm before the storm:

"What they are evaluating is how to run further away before I get completely angry."

The adjutant swallowed, and fine sweat oozed from his forehead.

Even from so far away, he could feel the terrifying pressure emanating from the Tower Master.

"Pass the order down."

Her voice remained calm, but the killing intent contained within made the temperature of the entire observation deck drop sharply:

"Any fleet that retreats without permission will be treated as mutiny. Execute the 'Purification' protocol."

The adjutant’s face turned as pale as paper instantly.

The "Purification" protocol meant annihilating the entire warship along with the crew, leaving no traces behind.

"Tower Master... if we do this, it might trigger a larger scale of..."

"Are you questioning my decision?"

Cassandra’s voice was as sharp as a blade, and the light in her violet eyes became more dangerous.

The adjutant knelt on one knee immediately, his head almost touching the ground:

"Subordinate dare not! Executing your order immediately!"

After the adjutant left trembling, the observation deck returned to silence.

Cassandra stared at the starry sky outside the window again, watching those fleets that were dispersing.

A self-deprecating smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"Even the allies who have followed me for so many years have begun to betray..."

She stroked the Conquest Card on her chest, feeling the power contained within.

But now, even this power seemed so insignificant.

………………

In the private cabin, the Flesh Altar was exceptionally active today.

Those wriggling blood vessels crawled on the ground like snakes, trying to weave into some meaningful pattern.

But every time it was about to take shape, it would distort strangely, eventually turning into a crying face again.

Cassandra strode toward the altar, every step making the floor emit a dull sound.

Her emotions were near the edge of losing control, and the void power in her body began to leak unconsciously, forming a purple energy vortex around her.

"Ancestor!"

She pressed hard on the center of the altar, her palm almost embedded in that mass of wriggling flesh.

Fresh blood immediately seeped from between her fingers and was greedily absorbed by the blood vessels.

"Your descendants are about to be buried here by that group of traitors! I need your power! I need your guidance!"

But unexpectedly, the Flesh Altar suddenly convulsed violently, as if undergoing some kind of indigestion reaction.

The next moment, the blood that had just been absorbed was actually spat out, forming a pool of dark red liquid on the ground.

The blood vessels began to wriggle on the ground, slowly writing a few crooked words with blood:

"Tastes bad... too bitter..."

Cassandra froze, staring at the blood words on the ground in disbelief.

"Even your altar has started to dislike me?!"

Anger erupted from the bottom of her heart like a volcano, and purple concentrated magic power danced in the cabin.

The decorations on the walls began to melt, and the air itself distorted and deformed in her anger.

Just as she was about to lose control completely, the Flesh Altar suddenly started to speak.

But the voice that came out was not the strange, paradoxical, eerie voice of the King of Absurdity, but a childish voice:

"Grandma, Great-Grandpa isn't home; he went to play somewhere else."

"What?!"

Cassandra froze, her full anger turning into confusion.

This address made her feel inexplicable, but what made her even more unhappy was this relaxed and casual tone.

"Great-Grandpa said he is playing a very, very big game of chess right now and cannot be disturbed. But he left a note for you..."

Following the child’s explanation, a note actually slowly "grew" out from the center of the Flesh Altar, like a plant sprouting.

The texture of the note looked very ordinary, but a few lines of crooked words were written on it:

"Very busy lately, don't bother me.

Solve things yourself if you have them.

The chess game is at a critical moment; one wrong step and the whole game is lost.

——Left by your dear ancestor"

At the end, a stick figure with its tongue sticking out was drawn, looking like a casual doodle.

Cassandra stared at this note, which was clearly perfunctory to the extreme, feeling her sanity slipping away crazily.

A dignified Wizard King actually responded to her plea for help in this way?

"When you let me walk this path, you didn't have this attitude!"

Her voice began to tremble, not knowing if it was anger or despair:

"Now that you need to take responsibility, you play deaf and dumb?! Is this the bearing of a Wizard King?!"

Purple magic power swept through the entire cabin like a storm.

Precious decorations turned into powder under the energy impact, and even the special metal forming the walls began to deform.

But the Flesh Altar just curled up aggrievedly, and the child’s voice continued:

"Grandma, don't be angry... Great-Grandpa is really busy with something very important; he said that after he finishes this game, he will take me to see the stars..."

"Enough!"

Cassandra’s roar almost tore the command room apart.

Her void power was completely out of control, and spatial cracks began to appear in the entire cabin.

Just as she was about to fall into madness completely, iridescent light unfolded in the air, as brilliant and dazzling as an aurora.

A colorful mirror slowly took shape, dispelling the chaotic energy in the cabin.

That gentle and majestic aura immediately calmed the violent purple magic power.

"Little Cassandra, although that old guy’s actions are indeed annoying, you have already lost control a bit."

The voice of the King of Illusions carried helplessness, but there was no blame in it:

"Calm down first."

"Pandora-sama..."

Seeing this elder who was the only one still willing to pay attention to her.

Cassandra’s voice carried helplessness:

"I need help... The Expeditionary Force is already on the verge of collapse, and the 'Star Sector Lord' of Vital is more powerful than described in any intelligence..."

Her voice began to tremble:

"I feel like I can't hold on anymore; those allies who have fought with me for many years have begun to betray, and even the ancestor is unwilling to see me..."

The figure in the mirror shook her head slightly, her tone carrying sympathy:

"I know, child, the power of that ancient god is indeed beyond the response range of conventional conquest. However..."

The King of Illusions paused, seemingly organizing her words:

"The key to breaking the situation is not on the battlefield, but in understanding."

"Understanding?"

Cassandra raised her head in confusion, her violet eyes full of bewilderment:

"I have been studying the Vital Republic for thirteen years; what else is there that I don't understand?"

"The true source of power of the Vital Republic is not just the 'Star Sector Lord' itself, but their unique social structure and collective consciousness network."

The King of Illusions’ tone became deep and mysterious:

"To truly conquer them, you cannot rely solely on force; you must fundamentally dismantle this deep connection. And what this requires is insight, not destructive power."

Cassandra nodded thoughtfully, but soon showed confusion again:

"But, I have already tried to analyze their social structure; I can recite the distribution map of those collective consciousness nodes..."

"You are only analyzing the surface."

The figure in the mirror laughed softly:

"Sometimes, the most complex problems do not require more information, but a brand-new way of thinking."