Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Axel Tungsten Gambit
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Heinrich's first thought was:
Tens of thousands of cannons pointed at my head, elite soldiers surrounding me—any sign of trouble, and they could tear apart anyone here in an instant. What do I have to fear from you?
But as he took a step forward, he caught the faint mocking glint in Celia's eyes and snapped back to reality.
"Why not come over here yourself?" He stopped in place, letting out a scoffing laugh. "You know full well, Celia—the treatment you'd get coming to the Empire versus me going to the Alliance is worlds apart."
"Is that so?" Unexpectedly, Celia didn't refuse. Instead, he smiled and took a step forward. "In that case, I'll come over."
Everyone tensed up. Scarface and several battle-hardened commanders instinctively gripped their guns, closing in tight. But Celia ignored their wariness completely. He just kept his eyes on Heinrich, stepping one by one into the encirclement of Empire soldiers.
Scarface's heart clenched—
Now the distance between Celia and them was no more than five meters. At this range, with a shout, all these Alpha special forces around could swarm and pin the Marshal down, drag him away by force!
So... should they make a move?
The opportunity wouldn't last—should they make a move?!
But what happened next left Scarface with all words stuck in his throat.
Celia stepped forward until he was almost face-to-face with the Emperor. The space between their noses was no more than half a meter. Heinrich could even see his own reflection clearly in Celia's eyes, tinged with barely concealed surprise. "You..."
"What's wrong?"
"...Nothing, but I'm a bit flattered... Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Flattered," Celia echoed, as if finding it amusing, then asked in return, "What do you think I want to say?"
In that instant, countless answers flashed through Heinrich's mind. Probably due to the stimulation of the Omega pheromones so close at hand, his first thought—and his last—was, "Heinrich, I'm pregnant!"
But he knew it was impossible. Genetic correction couldn't be done with elevated progesterone during pregnancy. The fact that Celia could stand here meant he'd slipped up back then—the odds of knotting during heat without conception were less than one percent, and he'd managed to hit that exact jackpot.
That kind of catastrophic failure was enough to shame any Alpha, let alone an Emperor—
Yet at this moment, recalling it stirred a secret mix of relief and regret in his heart.
Thank goodness there was no child.
That way, Celia couldn't use a kid to threaten him, and he wouldn't have to endure the agony of abandoning his own flesh and blood.
In his position, many things couldn't be decided by personal grudges. Just like fifty years ago, watching Celia take his own life on Red Earth Star—though it had been the most correct choice for the situation at the time, the inner torment and regret would never fade. For someone like Heinrich, he could do everything in his power to avoid such dilemmas; but if fate conspired against him and forced the choice anyway, his own feelings would always come last.
Heinrich let out an almost inaudible breath. "Anything but that... I can handle whatever you say."
Celia clearly didn't catch his meaning but patted his shoulder anyway. "Don't worry, it's nothing much."
His hand slid naturally down Heinrich's arm, then gently grasped the Emperor's hand.
In that instant, warmth bloomed in Heinrich's chest—followed by a sudden wrongness, but it was already too late—
Celia's right pupil flashed blood-red in a heartbeat. Countless black veins surged from his eye socket, racing down his arm to their clasped hands. Then Heinrich felt a searing burn in his palm!
Like a red-hot chain snapping around his wrist bone, the black veins locked their hands together in an instant, lightning-fast as they extended up his arm!
"Celia—" Heinrich roared suddenly, trying to break free but finding he couldn't even twitch.
The black veins shackled them like handcuffs!
Scarface and the others rushed forward. "Your Majesty!"
Heinrich quickly regained his composure, raising a hand to halt them. He looked up at Celia. "Even like this, what good does it do? You've locked me—what makes you think you can subdue me? This is all Ninth Fleet territory. Worst case, we tie you up and drag you back to the Empire. You won't even be able to run..."
Celia made a silencing gesture, his eyes even holding a hint of amusement. "Look up, Heinrich."
The Emperor looked up in shock, only to see the sky filled with densely packed Empire fleet ships. He narrowed his ice-blue eyes, scanning for a long time before spotting a single red light amid the overlapping shadows of countless vessels—like a signal lamp hanging in the heavens, flashing faintly and unnoticeably.
"...What's that?"
All eyes turned to Celia. He nodded politely and said, "The Staff of the Gods."
·
Those four words out, the surrounding Empire officers exchanged stunned glances.
Scarface forced a casual laugh. "Marshal, didn't you hear? We've taken control of all C-grade and above cannons on the orbital fortress from the ground console. An S-grade weapon like the Staff of the Gods is already in our hands..."
"You're Isaac?"
Scarface paused. "...Yes."
"You're not from the Alliance, so you've probably never been probed by me." Celia's words were for him, but his eyes didn't glance his way. "Find some time, and I'll take you along for a few days. You won't say things like that afterward."
Scarface froze, not even getting angry—he hadn't processed what that meant when Heinrich let out a cold laugh. "D-grade bracket cannons—"
"The Staff of the Gods has over a hundred D-grade bracket cannons among its components. They can detach independently from the orbital fortress, no ground console needed for guidance. They can strike ground targets mid-descent. But their attack power is negligible, with a range of just five meters square. Due to their weak firepower, the Empire phased them out long ago." The Emperor's handsome face was now frosty. "Is this why you've chained me here? Pointing the cannon at yourself to hold me hostage with mutual destruction?!"
Celia didn't reply. The Emperor sneered. "But don't forget, bracket cannons are useless once they hit the ground. Let me guess—does it take ten minutes to drop from that height? Ten minutes from now, when the D-grade bracket cannon crashes, even if you shove me down the barrel, it'll be pointless! Celia, are you really confident you can convince me to withdraw in six hundred seconds?!"
High on the platform, Speaker Kamas, Douglas, and the others had just relaxed—now their hearts leaped back into their throats. They all involuntarily looked to Celia, hoping he'd pull out some ace up his sleeve.
But Celia just shook his head.
"What you saw is indeed a D-grade bracket cannon, but you're only half right."
"...What do you mean?"
"Bracket cannons won't fire, but their parts are droppable." Celia paused, then yanked off a silver cufflink from his wrist and extended his hand slowly. "Axel tungsten."
Everyone's faces changed in unison. The cufflink was a tiny silver sphere. With a crisp snap, he crushed it—then a streak of light shot down like a meteor, "bang!" slamming bullet-like past Celia's hand straight into the floor!
The impact was like machine-gunning the ground point-blank. The marble floor was instantly pierced with a bottomless round hole!
Several Empire officers stepped back half a pace, their expressions shifting.
"Bracket cannon parts are made of Axel tungsten—extremely magnetic and easy to guide. Because it contains tungsten rods, the impact force is massive. A piece the size of a fingernail dropping from that altitude is enough to smash a pedestrian into a bloody pulp... That's why it was outdated and unstable, discontinued across all star systems fifty years ago."
Celia bit off his other cufflink, dangling it from his fingertips and shaking it.
"This guiding orb is extremely fragile. Crushing, shaking, heat, moisture—any can trigger it. Heinrich, if you don't order a retreat, that Axel tungsten speck smaller than a button up there tens of thousands of meters will drop from the cannon barrel and pierce us both in the blink of an eye..."
"...And tomorrow at this time will be our death anniversary."
Dead silence fell around them. Then Scarface lunged to snatch the orb—Celia popped it into his mouth first, biting it lightly between his teeth with a smile.
Scarface froze on the spot, unsure how to move—
If it were a bomb, great—he'd trade his life to gun Celia down! But this tiny guiding orb—even if he blew Celia's head off, the blood spray from his mouth would activate it!
"Men... men!" Scarface roared over his shoulder. "Alert fighter squadrons to scramble and search for the D-grade bracket cannon! Now!"
But Celia was faster. "Karyan! Where's the Radiant Legion?"
Scarface snapped, "The Radiant Legion's tail wings are fully pinned in the atmosphere by our forces..." He suddenly realized something, his voice cutting off as cold sweat trickled down his temple.
Beyond the tens of thousands of meters atmosphere, the Radiant Legion and Empire tail wings faced off remotely—not a single craft daring to twitch. It wasn't the Empire controlling the Radiant Legion; it was the Radiant Legion blocking the Empire from breaching the atmosphere—the only path to that fatal tungsten shard!
From the Empire's landing onward, every detail had played out exactly as Celia scripted!
·
"...Celia," After a long while, Heinrich spoke slowly, his voice low. "You're actually willing to throw away your life for me?"
If listened to closely, those words held shock, anger, heartache,感慨, relief—a tangle hard to describe. But no one around had the mind to savor it. Everyone stared tensely at Celia, terrified he'd accidentally—or not—crush the guiding orb, and the Empire's and Alliance's top military leaders would die right before their eyes.
"If you're asking me, I don't really care." Surprisingly, Celia's voice was utterly calm, even carrying a touch of world-weary detachment. "To the Alliance, I'm not irreplaceable. Plenty of outstanding generals if I die—Karyan can step up as Marshal. Douglas is a fame-chasing coward, Markas spineless and indecisive, but without Dark Star Hall, Parliament can't pull any tricks. Worst case, new elections in a few years swap the government."
"But you're different, Heinrich—you're the Empire's sole core. Kill you, and who becomes Emperor? To check those founding generals who rose with you from the Alliance rebellion, you deliberately groomed deputies like Isaac to split military power. Then, as the military grew too strong, you let Parliament elders use politics to rein it in. All these tangled power webs—no one but the Emperor can steer this massive Empire. But if the Emperor dies?"
"You have no heir, Heinrich." Celia paused, then said flatly, "So right now, you can't gamble with your life."
No one spoke. Everyone bowed their heads.
Heinrich's ice-blue eyes bored into Celia, as if peering straight into his soul. "...Why Karyan?"
"What?"
"Thousands in Alliance military command—why him to succeed you?"
The question seemed tough. Celia began, "Because—"
He stopped abruptly, silent for a moment before shaking his head. "No point saying it now, Heinrich. Either we both drop dead here, or the Empire withdraws for peace talks. Your choice."
·
It felt like a century passed, cold sweat soaking layers of clothes, before Heinrich's hoarse voice broke through. "Isaac."
"Yes—"
"Order the Ninth Fleet—all units, withdraw."
Scarface saluted wordlessly, leading the Empire soldiers out of the hall. Airships overhead dropped ropes to haul them up. Soon, the Emperor's command broadcast across the entire fleet via radio waves. In the night sky, countless warships converged into a torrent, swiftly ascending to the heavens.
The Radiant Legion monitored the retreat, feeding updates nonstop to Karyan via neural link.
After who knew how long, the Ninth Fleet fully cleared Jinshui Star's atmosphere, swarming like bees outside it. The Alliance space fortress finally resumed operations after hours of hacking.
Only that Empire airship still hovered above the hall. Scarface rappelled down the rope, asking coldly, "Satisfied now?"
Karyan finally looked up, signaling Celia from afar with an all-clear thumbs-up.
The Empire Emperor and Alliance Marshal still stood hand-in-hand in the open space. Heinrich glanced at his own hand, then Celia's, suddenly struck by an absurd irrelevance. "What now? Taking me back to the Empire with you?"
"..."
"That tungsten shard can't cross space to hit the Empire, right? Or are you planning to bundle me up, toss me into orbit, and just walk away?"
"..."
Just as Heinrich wondered if he really meant that, Celia let out an odd chuckle. "I just want you to release the Bian."
The Bian glowed faintly like an ordinary bracelet. Heinrich eyed it suspiciously. "You know no one in the Alliance can pilot or dismantle a 3S mecha, right?"
"I'm giving it to him." Celia pointed at Scarface, then up at the massive Empire airship overhead. "I'll fly out of Alliance space with you in the airship. The rest can take the Bian wherever... Though I figure they'll trail us anyway."
Not just Heinrich—even Scarface was stunned.
What the hell was in the Marshal's gourd?
But Scarface had given up guessing. Heinrich fell into an eerie silence for seconds before asking hesitantly, "Celia, if this is about eloping—"
Alliance parliamentarians had scattered far off; only Scarface was nearby. His first reaction was amusement—but then realization hit, and he whipped toward Celia, eyes widening slowly.
"Yeah, I can't wait to elope with you!" Celia burst out laughing, patting the Emperor's handsome face. "But that'll have to wait. Right now, I need the star charts from that Empire warship... I'm going to Void Star."
·
Warship crew fully evacuated. Scarface led them aboard the Bian. Before takeoff, he kept twisting back for horrified stares at Celia.
Celia, oblivious, teased, "Really wanna come? Alliance military perks aren't great—might wrong you."
Defying form, Scarface shuddered, nodding then shaking his head frantically. "No wrong at all... N-no, you're joking, sir. I mean, my loyalty to the Empire is ironclad..."
Before Celia could respond, Heinrich snorted beside him at the show of fealty. Scarface ducked straight into the mecha cockpit without another word.
The massive warship emptied for just the Emperor and Marshal. Sanitation, medical, water services—all primed and ready. Star charts auto-set for Void Star. To prevent Celia from suddenly firing the ship's electromagnetic cannons at the Bian, all weaponry was disarmed. Even so, worried gazes tracked as the pair vanished down the bridge.
The warship plotted the route from star charts and handled basic autopilot. Celia stood in the empty ops hall, gazing at the pristine nav systems, gleaming gear, and rows of intricate command consoles underfoot. He shook his head with a sigh-like breath.
"Way more advanced than the Alliance?" Heinrich cut straight.
"You hate the Alliance that much?" Celia countered instead.
"If you mean its government—yes, I do."
Celia fell silent, lowering his lashes to watch the shifting star map on the screen.
The warship rumbled into flight amid dull vibrations—gliding midair first, then slowly climbing, streaking toward the atmosphere nearly level. Gravity systems buffered cabin pressure massively. The moment they breached atmo, Celia staggered slightly, grabbing a railing to steady.
The warship hurtled into interstellar space; the orbital "Staff of the Gods" fortress now far behind. No need to hold the hostage anymore—Celia closed his eyes. When they reopened, the Dark Star warrior marks faded silently from him, crawling back up his wrist to shoulder, neck, then vanishing into his black pupils.
The shackles finally undone, Celia withdrew his hand from Heinrich's, flexing it.
But before he could speak—flash!
His vision blurred—then bang!
Agonizing pain exploded in the back of his skull. Dazed for seconds, he realized Heinrich had slammed him against the wall, pinning his body rigid while forcing his jaw open, yanking out the cufflink and hurling it aside!
Crack—the guiding orb shattered. Before Celia could say a word, Heinrich grabbed his collar. "Why no kid?!"
"What?"
"Why no kid—I came inside you, didn't I?!"
"..." Celia said, "How should I know? Ask yourself."
He shoved Heinrich away—but got yanked right back, then crushed against the wall by this burly Alpha in a brutal kiss. Scorching lips and tongue bit, licked, ravished—pleasure like electric current spearing his brain, every nerve end trembling, curling, knees nearly buckling.
Tongues tangled in savage grind, instantly igniting their pheromones, blooming full in seconds. The tidal surge within was ferocious, impatient—Alpha and Omega scents fusing into a soul-stealing sweet aroma.
Heinrich's pupils turned deep blue, inky black hiding indescribable fury. He scooped Celia up hard against the wall, gripped his jaw, panting as he ravaged neck and throat.
"You know," amid the frenzy, his voice slurred thick, "I have ways... to make you..."
Celia's mind blanked in waves—Alpha pheromones like addictive venom hijacking his thoughts, nearly erasing what he was doing. Dazed, he heard ragged, desperate gasps—familiar yet alien. Half a beat later, his numb brain registered: they were his own.
"Lion..." He struggled out the words. "Lion... Griffon!"
The red-gold earring whirled into a gale, yanking Heinrich off and slamming him into an armchair, then clunk—locking around his waist against the backrest—
"Griffon!!"
The Emperor's eyes blazed red, neck veins bulging terrifyingly. Griffon swallowed, cautious. "I-I-I had no choice..."
Celia slumped against the wall, panting till he recovered, legs still weak, barely upright with wall support. A flush lingered on his face—excitement or shame unclear. "What the hell was that?!"
The sight nearly made Heinrich grind his teeth. He endured, bloodshot fading slowly. "What?"
"You suddenly..."
"Why name Karyan?!"
Celia blinked, sensing the absurdity. "That's internal Alliance business—"
"He's utterly unqualified! Nowhere near good enough!" Heinrich paused, then roared anyway. "Thousands in Alliance command! Why 'designate' Karyan of all people?!"
Silence blanketed the hall. Celia frowned at Heinrich, eyes holding an indescribable complexity.
After a long moment, he looked away faintly. "Because the one I originally wanted to designate... is no longer possible."