Blocking the strikes from both women, Decade pushed forward and forced them apart, boots scraping against the metal floor as he created space. His gaze shifted immediately, tracking the next wave of incoming attacks.
He stepped to the side, letting a spear thrust pass where his head had been a moment ago, then swung the sheathed Nameless in a clean arc. The blade collided with Jingliu's frost slash, the ice shattering into glittering fragments that scattered across the ground.
Jingliu didn't pause.
She raised her sword again, frost thickening along its edge, and sent another series of ice slashes forward, wider, heavier, layered to cut off his escape. Decade met them head-on, his movements economical. Each swing of his sheathed blade either knocked the attack aside or broke it outright, the sound of cracking ice repeating in quick succession.
The sight unsettled the surrounding soldiers.
The once Sword Champion of the Xianzhou Luofu had fought countless battles, yet her attacks were being dismissed with little effort. The unease spread quickly. Those with less combat experience instinctively fell back, tightening their formation and holding their ground. Those with strength closer to the generals stepped forward instead, weapons ready, forming a new front line.
Feixiao pressed in.
Decade tilted his head just enough to avoid the wide swing of her battle axe, the blade passing within inches of the fox ears atop his head, before his foot crashed into her guts, sending her skidding back. He deflected another ice slash without looking, then jumped backward as Fourze launched forward, the Barizun Sword roaring as it tore through the air, crashing on the spot he had been standing at not too long ago.
Decade landed lightly, boots skidding to a stop.
His gaze settled on Fourze.
The calm he'd maintained until now thinned, his expression flattening into something colder.
From the beginning, he hadn't wanted this. If the Xianzhou wouldn't accept him, he would've left without argument. Fourze was the one who forced this confrontation, dragging him into a fight he never intended to have.
He hadn't lied about who he was. There was no point. If his name had already spread before he even arrived, denial would've only delayed the inevitable.
More importantly, the Xianzhou wasn't just another planet. It was a hub, a place travelers relied on to rest, resupply, and survive long journeys through space. Damaging it too severely would destabilize far more than just one of their ship.
Decade tightened his grip on the sheath.
He swung.
A magenta flame slash tore forward, colliding head-on with Jingliu's incoming ice slash. The frost evaporated instantly, the remaining energy surging past her and forcing both her and nearby soldiers to leap aside.
The attack slammed into a building behind them, the wall collapsing as magenta flames spread across the structure.
Fourze charged once more, using his rocket booster to launch himself forward, bringing the Barizun Sword down.
Decade pressed his thumb against the scanner on the sheath. A sharp click followed.
As the blade descended, Decade's body glitched, flickering out of alignment with reality. The attack passed through him harmlessly. In the same motion, he drew Nameless.
The cracked blade flashed.
One clean swing cut into Fourze's chest, the impact throwing him backward across the platform. Decade didn't pursue. His attention had already shifted.
A barrage filled the air.
Arrows, bullets, compressed wind, lightning, flame, and elemental constructs converged on his position from multiple angles. Decade moved to step aside only to freeze on his track.
A pink magic circle formed in front of him, its glow intensifying as it locked him in place.
He clenched his teeth, eyeing the barrage coming closer toward him. He exhaled once.
The shards that formed the Nameless separated, leaving only an empty handle and guard. The shards flying outward and circle around him, forming a barrier just as the combined attacks struck.
The explosion echoed across the flagship, metal screaming under the force.
When the smoke cleared, Decade was still there.
The magenta bandana had slipped from his forehead, drifting to the ground. The edges of his coat were scorched, small cuts were visible along his outfit.
But that was all.
The soldiers' brief hope faded as they took in the sight.
Decade slowly looked across the battlefield, his gaze passing over every weapon pointed at him. His voice, when he spoke, was flat and devoid of heat.
"You asked for this."
He raised another card.
Form Ride: Metal Cluster Hopper!
His magenta attire shifted, flowing into a reflective, high-grade metallic surface, the air around him vibrating faintly as the transformation completed.
And the pressure on the battlefield changed.
Walking forward, projectiles and magic attacks flooded toward him from every direction.
Decade didn't stop.
His coat fractured into countless floating Cluster Cells, snapping together into a layered metal shield in front of him. Arrows flattened on impact, bullets vanished into the shifting surface, and any attack carrying even a trace of metal was absorbed outright. Elemental and magic attacks splashed harmlessly across the constantly rearranging cells, dispersing without leaving a mark.
The shield split apart.
Cluster Cells stretched and reformed, turning into long, jagged metal spikes that launched outward in every direction. They pierced the ground, walls, and weapons alike, embedding themselves around the battlefield. Some returned to Decade, circling him closely, while others latched onto the ship's metal structure, tearing away fragments and multiplying as they went.
The longer the fight continued, the more of them there were.
Decade kept walking.
As he advanced, the Cluster Cells peeled away from his body entirely, leaving him in nothing but a black long-sleeved shirt and black-and-white pants. The metal constructs now orbited him freely, accelerating, splitting, and firing outward in precise intervals.
Any soldier slow to react was struck down, pinned, or forced out of the fight.
The battlefield changed.
What had once been an organized assault collapsed into chaos. Defensive formations broke apart as soldiers focused less on attacking and more on staying alive. Orders were shouted, drowned out, then shouted again.
Seeing the Destroyer switch from defense to offense, Jing Yuan, the Divine Foresight, one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals, felt his heart drop.
He moved forward, spear flashing, batting away incoming metal spikes and pulling wounded soldiers out of danger. His strikes carried force, enough to crack and shatter a few of the constructs, but every time one broke apart, it revealed its true form.
Thousands of tiny metal grasshopper-like units scattered, then snapped back together, reforming as if nothing had happened.
No matter how many times they were destroyed, they didn't stay down.
"Did we... make a mistake trusting them?" Jing Yuan murmurs, seeing his soldiers falling one after another from the metal spikes flying toward them.
After interrogating the Stellaron Hunter, Kafka, they find out about the existence of Decade, the Destroyer of Worlds.
Then the Astral Express also warns them to be careful of this destroyer.
They have listened to the Astral Express because they have helped prevent the Stellaron threat on the Luofu. Along with aiding them in the fight against Phantylia, a high-ranking official within the Antimatter Legion, one of the seven Lord Ravagers who lead the Antimatter Legion under Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction.
Thinking back, he clearly remembers the Destroyer of Worlds' words when he first landed; he did not actively attack them. Even when they struck first, he didn't fight back for some time.
Still, even if they only agreed to attack this destroyer because of those warnings, one thing remains clear to all of them: they were the ones who fired the first shot. Blaming their enemy or ally now won't solve anything.
Seeing the front lines crumble, Jingliu moved.
She dashed forward, blade raised, frost gathering thickly along its edge as she launched herself straight at Decade. Her intent was clear: to draw his attention away from the others.
Her blade came down.
The Nameless was no longer in Decade's hand. Instead, Cluster Cells snapped together into a solid metal barrier, stopping her strike outright. The impact sent a shock through the air, frost spreading outward across the ground.
Jingliu didn't stop.
She followed up immediately, chaining her attacks together, each strike faster and heavier than the last. Ice coated the battlefield around them, yet the Cluster Cells showed no sign of strain. If anything, the cold seemed to only help cool off their system.
Two larger constructs drifted behind Decade.
They stretched, then launched forward.
Jingliu was struck and thrown back, crashing into the ground and rolling across the metal surface. She tried to rise, but Decade already stood in front of her.
His hand closed around her neck, lifting her effortlessly off the ground. Her blade slipped from her grip as she struggled, her movements growing unsteady under the pressure.
"Master!" Jing Yuan shouted.
He surged forward, only to be forced back again by a wave of incoming constructs. Every attempt to reach her was cut off.
Feixiao rushed in from the side, weapons swinging, forcing a brief opening, but it closed just as quickly. Cluster Cells swarmed her position, driving her back and pinning her down through sheer numbers. Covering her completely in a sphere of metal.
Decade's expression didn't change.
The constructs around Jingliu slowly shifted, then spikes shot out, stabbing her body directly. causing her to let out a scream of pain. Yet it didn't stop there; the metal spikes pulled back and stabbed her repeatedly.
Her clothes were torn, as crimson blood dripped off her body and onto the metal floor.
Her struggles and screams only grew weaker and weaker by the second before he suddenly dropped her, letting her body fall onto the cold ground.
Silence spread unevenly across the battlefield.
After quickly scanning the battlefield, he noticed Fourze was trying to run away, which only made him feel disappointed.
Decade felt the last trace of respect for the space rider without a home completely faded.
Fourze had been the one to force this situation. He was the one who charged first, who dragged the conflict down onto the Xianzhou instead of choosing to talk, surrender, or even stand his ground. And now, when the consequences arrived, he was the first to try to flee.
Decade exhaled slowly.
Final Attack Ride: De-De-De-Decade!
Massive blue and yellow cards materialized in midair, snapping into place one after another, forming a straight path through open space. Decade leapt forward, his foot slamming through the first card.
Acceleration surged.
Each card he passed through stacked momentum onto his body, his speed increasing with every impact. The air warped around him as the line of cards extended endlessly ahead, always staying just behind Fourze's flight path.
Fourze noticed.
He twisted in midair, veering sharply to the side, then abruptly cutting his engines and pulling a tight U-turn, trying to escape the trajectory entirely. It didn't work. The cards reformed instantly, realigning behind him, the image of Decade closing the distance faster than he could react.
Until there was no room left as Decade's foot connected squarely with Fourze's back.
The impact detonated in midair, the shockwave rippling outward and rattling multiple flagships at once. Fourze's body was sent spiraling downward, crashing back into the battlefield below in a cloud of debris and scattered light.
Decade landed moments later.
He raised the newly formed Rider Card calmly, slotting it away before lifting his hand. At the signal, the Cluster Cells immediately ceased their assault, disengaging and flowing back toward him in controlled streams. Forming back into his coat.
Seeing this, the remaining soldiers didn't dare to utter a word, or even more, afraid that this destroyer might resume his task.
Then the wind surged.
A violent gust erupted from Feixiao as the green markings along her back flared brightly. She lifted off the ground, teeth clenched, blood dripped off her body, fist tightening as she fixed her gaze on Decade.
"General Feixiao, wait!" Jing Yuan shouted, panic breaking through his composure.
He have to stopped this. The assault has just paused, and the other party might even stop. Provoking him now would undo everything.
Other soldiers echoed the warning, shouting for her to stop, fear evident in their voices. But Feixiao didn't slow down. The wind carried her forward, faster and faster, straight toward Decade.
Before she could reach him, the injured Jingliu moved.
Despite her injuries, she forced herself upright and staggered forward, wrapping her arms around Decade from behind. Her grip wasn't strong, nor steady, but it was enough.
Enough for Feixiao to collide with Decade head-on.
The three were carried backward by the force, sliding across the deck and into the air, heading directly toward Decade's hovering ship nearby. The door opened up, letting them in before shutting behind them as they crossed the threshold.
Jingliu's back struck the interior wall, the impact knocking the remaining air from her lungs. Feixiao collapsed forward, her forehead pressed against Decade's chest as she clung to him.
"Please…" Feixiao said, her voice strained but clear. "Spare the Xianzhou. This was a misunderstanding."
She tightened her grip, despite her exhaustion.
"If you have any anger… grievances… I, Feixiao, Merlin's Claw of the Xianzhou Yaoqing, one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals, will bear all responsibility."
She lowered her head further, hot tears and blood dripping onto his shirt.
"Please… spare my people."