First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess-Chapter 500: Breaking Point

The first shot cracked against the rear panel, metal shrieking as something punched through outer plating and bounced inside the cargo bay. Lyra flinched hard, Iria pulling her down and shielding her without a word.

Reva leaned forward, voice sharp. "Next junction, right."

The driver shook his head. "Blocked."

"Then take it anyway," Viola snapped.

The transport smashed through a flimsy barrier and dropped onto a lower service lane, suspension screaming as it absorbed the impact. The chase tightened immediately. Two vehicles followed them down, one swinging wide to the flank, the other staying dead center, headlights burning straight through the dust and exhaust.

Rin braced himself and cracked the side door just enough to see out. "They’re setting up a pinch."

Requiem shifted closer, already pulling his blade free. "Then don’t let them."

Another impact rocked the vehicle. The transport swerved, nearly clipping a support pillar before the driver hauled it back on course.

"They look like local thungs. Must be commisioned." Arlen leaned toward Reva. "We can’t outrun them like this."

"I know," Reva replied. "We don’t need to."

She slammed a control on her device. The transport’s rear ramp dropped halfway, scraping sparks across the ground. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Rin didn’t wait for instruction. He hooked an arm around the frame and jumped, landing hard on the moving surface and rolling once before coming up on a knee. The pursuing vehicle closed the gap fast, grille filling his vision.

"Finally, I am getting some action!" He smiled grimly and hurled a charge straight into its intake.

The explosion wasn’t big, but it was enough. The pursuing vehicle swerved, slammed into a wall, and disappeared in a shower of debris.

The second one stayed on them.

"Still one," Arlen shouted.

Requiem moved next. He didn’t jump. He waited until the transport cut close to a support beam, then stepped onto the ramp and drove his blade down into the pavement as they passed. The blade bit deep, caught, and ripped free, tearing a slab of surface loose and flinging it back into the lane.

The pursuing vehicle clipped it, lost control, and spun out, smashing into stacked cargo with enough force to collapse half the pile.

Reva slammed the ramp closed and leaned back against the wall, breathing hard. "Move routes. Now."

The driver didn’t argue. He cut through three unmarked lanes in quick succession, bouncing over uneven ground, then killed the lights entirely as they slid into a maintenance tunnel barely wide enough to fit.

Silence rushed in all at once, broken only by heavy breathing and the ticking sound of stressed metal cooling.

Lyra lifted her head slowly. "Are they gone?"

"For now," Rin said as he hauled himself back inside and slammed the door. "But they’re close."

Reva wiped the blood from her lip with the back of her hand and looked around the cramped space, eyes moving over each of them. "We don’t get another warning."

"What do you plan to do next?" Viola asked them. "Xavier’s close as we know, but we are still being hunted. If Kylus brings his entire mercenary crew, it will be hard, even for Xavier to win."

Reva’s eyes flashed red as she exhaled, long and tired, like something inside her had finally decided to stop negotiating.

"I think we’re done running," she said.

Lyra turned toward her immediately. "Reva—"

Reva didn’t look at her. She turned to Requiem instead. "Take Lyra and Iria. Get them out of here. Put distance between them and this."

Lyra shook her head hard. "No. I’m not leaving you."

Requiem was already moving.

He caught Iria by the wrist first, firm but careful, then reached for Lyra when she tried to pull back. "Listen to her," he said quietly. "This isn’t a debate."

"I won’t," Lyra snapped. "You can’t just—"

Requiem pulled her into him and lowered his voice. "You don’t stay when someone decides to die standing."

That stopped her.

Requiem didn’t wait another second. He dragged Iria with him, Lyra protesting all the way, her voice breaking as they disappeared down a side access route without looking back.

The space felt emptier the moment they were gone.

Rin stepped forward, rolling his shoulders. "Alright," he said. "Let’s make this loud."

Viola was already moving. Her suit unfolded in layers, dark plating locking into place. She drew both weapons and settled into a stance that didn’t waste motion.

Arlen watched her for half a second too long.

"That stance is just like how Xaveir..." Arlen said. "What’s your relationship with Xavier?"

Viola glanced at her, smirk tugging at one corner of her mouth. "I raised him."

Arlen frowned. "Raised?"

"In the ways that matter," Viola replied, not clarifying and clearly enjoying that she didn’t have to.

Reva stepped forward and let the restraint drop completely. Her body shifted, bones and muscle rearranging with a sound Arlen felt in her teeth. Her fangs elongated, her eyes glowed red, steam came out of her body as her wings popped out of her back.

Rin drew his blade and waited as if he’d been waiting all day for this.

Arlen stood there with them and felt it all at once.

She was the odd one out.

Viola moved like someone who’d survived wars. Rin held himself like violence was a language he spoke fluently. And Reva... was a vampire.

Arlen had training, sure, simulations, drills, controlled environments with backup and armor and air support.

This wasn’t that.

Viola noticed Arlen’s hesitation and her body shaking. She reached into a compartment and tossed a small disc toward Arlen without looking. "Catch."

Arlen barely got her hands up in time. "What is this?"

"Secondary nano suit," Viola said. "It won’t turn you into us, but it’ll keep you alive."

Arlen looked down at the device, then back up. "You’re trusting me with this?"

Viola met her eyes. "You’re still standing here. That’s enough."

The sound of engines grew louder, footsteps bleeding into the echo.

Arlen clipped the device in place and took a breath, steadying herself as the suit began to unfold around her, light but firm, interfaces blooming into her vision.

She looked up just as shadows poured into the tunnel.

Reva smiled.

Rin tightened his grip.

Viola raised her weapons.

And Arlen stood with them, no longer pretending she was just watching.

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A/N- With this, we have reached 500 Chapters. This feels like a dream. It felt like we reached too fast, yet too slow. Thank you for the continued support. Extreme fights and insane twists coming soon. Stay tuned!