Chapter 270: Breaking Down the Devourer
In the blindingly bright lab, a scalpel carved from erald light sliced with unflinching precision.
As it touched flesh, Suxie’s anguished screams filled the sterile air, sharp and raw like shattered glass. Her body, bound by glowing green energy, thrashed wildly.
Slick, black mucus spilled from her wounds, staining the pristine white of the lab with its nightmarish sheen.
Despite the tornt, Suxie’s formidable vitality clung stubbornly to life, refusing to let her escape into the void.
In the corner, Assisbot No. 1 huddled in its standby mode, a tallic oval pretending to be unnoticed.
’That selfish wo... no... Lyra, she doesn’t play around. No wonder everyone’s terrified of her.’
"Lyra! You’ll regret this—arghhh!" Suxie’s voice cracked, her attempts to summon her black hole core flickering under the unyielding pressure of the green energy.
Lyra’s focus never wavered. Her hands moved with eerie steadiness, the scalpel gliding as she dissected organ after organ with a surgeon’s elegance—like conducting a dark symphony of science.
On the sidelines, Rachel scribbled furiously in her notebook. Watching Lyra work with such precise brutality was oddly srizing.
For Rachel, who thrived on order and detail, it was practically therapeutic. Her eyes darted to the monitors, tracking every dip and spike in the life readings.
"Boss, her heart just stopped," Rachel said, her voice tight with both alarm and fascination.
Without even glancing up, Lyra waved her hand, channeling vibrant healing energy to pull Suxie back from the abyss.
The process played out like clockwork, a grim dance of death and revival.
Rachel could only stare, awestruck.
Healers could usually nd skin, close wounds, and maybe patch a torn muscle if they were skilled. Anything deeper—internal bleeding, organ damage—needed surgery alongside their abilities.
But Lyra’s healing went beyond human logic. It didn’t just nd. It controlled.
Human. Beast. Monstrosity. It didn’t matter. Lyra’s abilities bent them all to her will.
By the ti Lyra finished, every organ, strand of hair, and trace of essence had been cataloged and analyzed. She finally let the healing energy fade.
Suxie’s body, now void of vitality, began its horrifying decay.
Rachel froze as the process unfolded. The dark energy that had sustained Suxie seeped out in heavy waves, her body collapsing inward like a deflating balloon. Skin sagged, muscles withered, and bones disintegrated until all that remained was a brittle husk.
"So, the Stellar Devourer’s existence hinges entirely on this dark energy," Lyra murmured, her sharp eyes dissecting what little was left.
She turned to Rachel, who was furiously jotting notes, her expression a mix of wonder and terror.
"What’s your take compared to stellar beasts?" Lyra asked.
Rachel paused, adjusting her goggles with a spark of enthusiasm. "Surprisingly similar," she said, her tone almost giddy.
She tapped her pen against her notebook. "The Stellar Devourer wields black hole energy, while beasts rely on abilities parallel to human superpowers. Structurally, though, they’re almost identical. The big difference? Stellar Devourers just look more human."
"As I thought." Lyra’s voice carried a calm certainty. Humanity’s fears about these creatures being invincible were exaggerated.
"Should we share this with the military?" Rachel asked, clutching her notes.
"No," Lyra said firmly. "This stays off the grid."
"Got it!" Rachel grinned, hugging the stack of papers like a treasure trove.
When stellar beasts had first erged, they wreaked havoc, pushing humanity to its breaking point.
Only the tireless work of researchers brought their threat under control. But the Stellar Devourer was a puzzle no one had cracked. Not even the military had managed to capture one.
Until now.
Rachel’s chest swelled with pride. ’I’m holding data that could change everything!’
What Lyra planned to do with the information didn’t matter to her. Being part of this groundbreaking mont was more than enough.
Rachel stared intently at the swirling black mist, now sealed in a glowing green glass vial. "If we could expel this power from the Stellar Devourer’s body, or disrupt its flow, we’d have a way to counter them entirely!"
Lyra’s gaze lingered on the vial for a mont before she nodded. "Keep that in mind. Discuss the specifics with Koros." Then, without further comnt, she pressed a switch near the lab table.
Two flathrowers erged from hidden compartnts, unleashing streams of searing orange fire. The dry husk on the table disintegrated almost instantly, reduced to a fine gray powder.
Rachel carefully packed away the remaining samples, sealing them securely in reinforced containers. "Boss, can you lock these up with your superpower? We don’t want any of this deteriorating."
With a wave of her hand, Lyra encased the specins in shimring green energy.
"These findings are more than enough," Rachel said with a grin. "Though we’ll probably need your powers to put them to use when the ti cos."
Lyra nodded absentmindedly; her expression suddenly darkened. Her eyes sharpened, scanning the room like a predator sensing a trap.
A rift of pure darkness tore through the air, opening a portal to another dinsion.
Without hesitation, Lyra forged a blade from erald light and hurled it into the void.
CLANG!
The knife was intercepted mid-air by a broad black sword, wielded by Westros. His figure materialized from the shadows, his face calm but watchful.
Before he could speak, Lyra was already upon him, her blade flashing in a downward arc.
Westros barely had ti to raise his weapon in defense. Their clash sent a shockwave of energy rippling through the lab.
Westros gaze narrowed as he felt the pressure behind her attack. "No wonder Suxie lost to you," he muttered. His voice lacked its usual fervor, replaced instead by cold calculation. "Your advancent... it’s beyond anything I can control now."
Despite his words, his expression betrayed neither fear nor anger—only a deep, unsettling curiosity.
"This doesn’t make sense," he murmured, his voice tinged with suspicion.
The two forces locked in stalemate for a mont before Lyra suddenly withdrew, leaping back with an agility that defied the natural flow of her movents.
Rachel’s eyes widened in disbelief, noting the uncanny mismatch between Lyra’s body’s actions and its musculature.
Westros noticed it too, his frown deepening.
Lyra chuckled softly. "If the universe can produce creatures like the Stellar Devourer, then it can just as easily produce sothing to counter them, don’t you think?"
Westros tilted his head, studying her like a puzzle. "Yet as far as we know, nothing exists that can counter you. That breaks the rules."
"Rules?" Lyra’s smile turned sharp. "The Stellar Devourers didn’t follow the rules when they appeared. Neither did countless advanced civilizations before them."
She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "The rules bend when sothing new cos into being."
The weight of her words made Rachel’s head spin in confusion, but they struck Westros like a hamr. His eyes widened in sudden realization.
"You know," he whispered, barely audible. "You’ve figured it out!"
"Perhaps," Lyra said, her green eyes glinting with dangerous clarity. "But now I’m here to confirm."
Before Westros could react, the lab erupted in a blinding burst of erald light. Lyra charged again, blade flashing, and their battle resud with renewed ferocity.
This ti, however, Westros was distracted—just enough for a hidden player to intervene.
From the corner of the lab, Assisbot No. 1, silent until now, shot a concentrated beam of green light straight at Westros.
ZING!
The beam pierced Westros’ chest, leaving a smoldering black hole.
Westros staggered, his dark energy leaking rapidly from the wound. He turned toward the smugly vibrating Assisbot, realization dawning too late. ’She knew I’d co today. She’s already uncovered the Stellar Devourer’s secret!’
As his strength ebbed, Lyra seized the opportunity, her blade striking repeatedly. With swift, precise movents, she carved his form into pieces.
Yet as the remnants of his body twitched on the ground, they evaporated in a burst of shadow.
"A clone," Lyra muttered, straightening.
Far away, deep within a black hole, Westros’s true form jolted awake. His body trembled, green fissures spreading across his chest like cracks in stone. Pain contorted his face as he struggled to contain the invading energy.
"Sir, are you all right?"
Figures erged from the darkness—several subordinates with anxious expressions.
Westros clenched his teeth, forcing himself to remain upright. "Suxie’s body is destroyed," he growled. "Has she returned yet?"
One of them, Moya, shook her head, her expression grim. "Not yet."
Another subordinate voiced their concerns. "Sir, the black hole grants us less power with each passing mont. The rules... they’re starting to shift."
Once, Stellar Devourers reigned supre, their power an unchallenged constant in the cosmos. But even the unshakable bends to ti, and their grip on the universe was slipping.
Lyra’s strength had reached a tipping point, her rise threatening to rewrite the very laws that governed existence.
And when the rules changed, it would spell doom for the Stellar Devourers.
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