Four days later...
Sylvia arrived alone at the spaceport on The Blue, the one dedicated to travel to and from Herta Space Station.
Of course, she was going to honor Asta's invitation.
But just as Acheron had said, the Fullbottle was important to Sylvia.
So far, most of Sylvia's power came from that Fullbottle.
There was no way she was taking them out to let someone else study them.
The only one who'd ever gotten a close look at the Fullbottle was Acheron, whose favorability was pushing ninety.
For genius researchers like Herta, Sylvia maintained a basic level of trust, but she kept her guard up too.
Thanks to the pass Asta had sent, Sylvia boarded the small shuttle traveling between the space station and the planet's surface without a hitch.
With no other passengers at all, barely two minutes after Sylvia settled in, the shuttle lifted off with a faint tremor.
Sylvia kept her gaze out the window. It wasn't the ascent she was curious about, but Herta Space Station itself, floating there in orbit.
Honestly, though.
Having seen the Xianzhou ships and those massive orbital docks that encircled entire planets, Herta Space Station, while sizable, just couldn't compare to the scale of an actual large starskiff.
Aside from a bit of a thrill from its sleek, high-tech appearance, Sylvia mostly mused on how the real space station had so much more detail than the game's CG ever showed.
The shuttle gradually decelerated, aligning itself with the designated trajectory to dock with the station.
Sylvia didn't know if the flight path was specially designed, but as they approached, simply by looking out, she got a complete view of Herta Space Station from top to bottom, front to back.
And it was during this flyby that Sylvia saw them.
The Antimatter Legion.
"..."
Humanoid monsters with elongated blade-arms, appearing out of nowhere in the void via some transmission method Sylvia didn't understand.
After the first one appeared in her view, a second followed, then a third... more and more Voidrangers materialized before her eyes.
At a glance, there were already over a thousand, and they kept on coming.
Sylvia's shuttle kept its distance, circling around them, but not a single Voidranger so much as glanced her way.
Their target was Herta Space Station. A passing shuttle like hers was beneath their notice.
Sylvia, already poised for battle, watched the Legion with a peculiar expression.
"Coincidence? Or scripted..."
She had no way of knowing.
The shuttle continued its arc around the station before finally reaching a docking port.
Worth noting was that even though sections of the station's outer hull had been torn open by the Legion, the docking mechanisms were still operational.
Hearing the broadcast signal a successful dock, Sylvia unclipped her seatbelt, stood, and walked through the now-unlocked hatch.
Whooo—Whooo—Whooo—
A piercing alarm blared through the compartment.
Swarms of robots were unloading various supplies right there on the spot, though their purpose was unclear.
Sylvia didn't see a single member of the space station's crew.
Her corridor, at least, was clear. The robots' paths deliberately avoided the pedestrian walkways.
Through the viewports, she could see other docking bays connected to larger cargo vessels.
These freighters seemed to be under harassment from the Legion as well, their various defensive turrets activating, engaging the enemy in open space.
Whether their firepower was enough to let them escape was another question.
With a flick of her wrist, flames erupted from within her. Her casual clothes vanished in an instant, replaced by full-body armor.
Her loose hair was now tied into a ponytail.
A greatsword, blazing crimson, materialized in her right hand.
Screech—
The heavy blade scraped against the metal floor plating with a sharp metallic shriek.
Sylvia walked on, eyes scanning her surroundings. Not far off, she spotted a hatch, its destination unknown.
Before she could get close, a spherical spatial rift tore open above her head.
A Voidranger, brandishing its blade, dove straight down at her!
Its twin blades flashed with a cold light.
Sylvia looked up, meeting the creature's grotesque face head-on.
Instantly, she pushed off with her feet, her body darting backward, putting just enough distance between them to let the deadly arcs of light slash past.
Then, pivoting sharply at the waist, she brought her flaming greatsword down in a vertical slash!
Boom—!
Accompanied by the onset of a melodious tune, the Voidranger fell at Sylvia's feet before it could even react.
But the moment Sylvia swung her sword, more spatial rifts ripped open all around her. Seven more Voidrangers poured out at once.
Seeing their comrade slain, they raised their blades and charged as one.
"Some deserts on this planet were oceans once~"
The serene singing voice began, right as the intro ended.
Seeing this, Sylvia channeled force into her right arm, swinging the greatsword in a wide, full circle. It transformed into a massive wheel of fire, forcing back the enemies in front of her.
Using the momentum, she spun around, the sword crashing squarely into a Voidranger attempting a sneak attack from behind.
The heavy, flaming blade smashed the creature into the floor. Sylvia used the sword for leverage, flipping sideways and lashing out with a kick!
Thud—
Fire exploded from her heel, striking the Voidranger pouncing from the side like a cannon shot.
The flames left a deep imprint on its chest before detonating violently, blasting the creature away.
Sylvia's right hand tightened on the hilt, pulling her body down swiftly. She dropped into a crouch, evading a sweeping blade aimed at her head.
Carried by the leftover momentum, her left hand took over the hilt as her right fist shot forward!
A concussive shockwave mixed with flames shattered the Voidranger's carapace, pulverizing its chest.
With the immediate foe dealt with, Sylvia yanked her sword free and charged toward the fading wall of fire ahead!
Under Sylvia's precise and ruthless assault, the song's lyrics barely had time to progress past a few lines.
All seven Voidrangers lay fallen, motionless.
"Whew... still got it."
Sylvia recalled her greatsword and shook out her hand.
That brief scuffle against multiple Voidrangers had instantly brought back memories of being swarmed by monsters back on that other planet.
"Not so tough. Wonder how a Doomsday Beast stacks up."
She'd thought maybe the Voidrangers currently serving in the main force might be stronger than the stragglers left wandering for centuries.
But they didn't seem all that different.
Sylvia walked alone to the sealed hatch, observing the screen that was still lit.
After a moment's thought, she took out her phone and pulled up the digital pass Asta had sent her.
Soon, the red indicator light shifted to green, and the hatch slid open.
The corridor beyond led into darkness, its destination unknown.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.