It was far away from Throh, but not far enough.
"Something" levitated in the starry sky, its gait enough to eclipse an entire world.
It was the most terrifying thing a Heaven's Army soldier could see, a starship of untold proportions equipped with weaponry and innovation enough to match its size.
This destroyer starship was currently inactive, but it had the potential to be activated at any time, becoming an integral part of the Nox's plans to destroy the universe.
However, not everyone showed fear in front of the destroyer.
A woman far too beautiful for the bloody battlefield entered the destroyer ship like a shadow. Her pale green skin reflected off of its metallic outer shell as she made her way into the guts of the ship.
The team she brought entered with her.
They spread out immediately upon entry without a single word, as if every step had been planned from long ago. Their bodies turned into illusive blurs as they began moving to complete their task.
Small seeds around the size of a marble were distributed to every corner of the starship. They had various colors and patterns decorating their surfaces, outlining the variety in their effects.
The beautiful plant-race woman closed her eyes as she stood in the center of the starship, feeling for each and every seed that had been distributed.
'Aaliyah, remember your origins. Do not allow that disease to continue spreading. I can only help you this much. I hope you know what to do.'
She remembered the message she received from a little fairy many months ago. That fairy was carrying a bag of these seeds, and even though Aliyah had never seen them before, she had a vague guess about what they were.
'Holy Mother…'
Aaliyah shook her head in denial. As far as she knew, the Holy Mother was dead. She'd died protecting the plant races long ago during the ancient eras, and only vestiges of her will remained.
But…wasn't it okay to hope.
Aaliyah could feel the beautiful complexity within the seeds. Just the fact that they were all seemingly tailored to be handled by her was astonishing enough. When their intended effects were taken into account…
'Luckily, the Nox have not decided to use the starship yet. If it was active, we would have far too many issues to deal with to cleanly deal with the situation.'
Unfortunately, the concept of "jinxing" didn't exist among the plant races.
Aaliyah couldn't have known any better.
PSHHHHH!
The sound of a pressurized room depressurizing was so loud that it resonated throughout the massive starship.
The plant race beings who invaded the ship froze.
Their bodies were concealed and hidden within the crevices of the ship, areas that would never be checked.
Their leader, however…
Aaliyah's eyes widened when she heard the door opening. However, she couldn't move. In order to spread her awareness evenly and control all the seeds that had been planted, she needed to be in the middle.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The sound of footsteps slowly got closer. It wasn't just one pair, but instead enough footsteps to form a small rumbling sound as the group walked.
PSSSHHHHH!
A door depressurized.
A group of people entered the central control room.
"I absolutely deplore the scent of Plant Race experts. I can't believe their blood aura has become so thick that it even permeated through Leviathan." A woman sneered.
"Ahaha, and why is that? The plant races might be strange, but they taste quite good. Hmm, how should I say this? They have a bit more sweetness that those who diverge from nature don't possess." A man responded with a smile as he sat down in one of the nearby seats.
Each seat was linked to another control module, with each operator working in tandem to control the entirety of the ship. For a ship on the planetary scale like this one, single-handed control was nearly impossible. Only a Demigod had the mental strength to actually pull off such a feat.
The current group of 6 Higher Nox beings who chatted casually as they took their places amongst these seats didn't look like professional starship operators. In fact, they didn't look like they deserved to be in the war zone at all.
Their skin was smooth and beautiful, their faces were perfectly proportioned, and even their bodies looked sculpted from the finest clay by a master craftsman.
Compared to the majority of Nox beings, they were on another level.
But at the same time, they were extremely young.
Aaliyah watched from her concealed spot within the roof of the central control room.
The most she could do was hide herself quickly before the group entered, so it was a miracle she was even able to get this far.
She didn't dare to use her mana for fear of being discovered, but she knew that the second the starship was activated…
'We'll be found in an instant.'
Aaliyah's eyes hardened.
'Let's wait it out for now.'
The group that arrived was clearly filled with experts, judging by their ability to play with the starship's controls so freely, but none had taken the helm yet.
These six merely sat at subsidiary stations, taking their rightful places and waiting for the one who would lead them.
It didn't take him long to appear.
Light footsteps that almost disappeared into the void preceded his entrance into the room.
He was lithe and almost womanly, his appearance possessing such a powerful feminine charm that even men around him were forced to look away with red faces.
His movements were graceful and filled with poise, unmatched by 90% of existences in the universe.
"Are you all ready?" He asked slowly.
"Ready!"
"Let's rev it up, Captain!"
"We've been waiting for this moment for years already."
The team responded enthusiastically to his words, causing the captain to smile.
He walked to the helm and took his seat. He stared out the massive holographic window of the starship that reflected the starry sky outside.
'I will surpass you, Father.'
The womanly man sharpened his gaze.
Aaliyah's heart skipped a beat.
'That is…'
She knew this man's identity. While she'd never seen him in person, she'd seen countless pictures of a face that almost perfectly resembled him.
Even the most basic inference abilities could comprehend his identity.
'He is the Plaguelord's only son, Thaddeus Church.'
A chill ran through Aaliyah's body.
The feeling of immense opportunity as well as immense disaster flowed through her at once.
'There aren't many of them, but with the ship's systems, the 6 of them possess the fighting force of an entire army both internally and externally.
Even within the ship's interior, there were countless weapons to deal with intruders. It would be instant death for the guerrilla squad if they were caught.
Aaliyah took a shaky breath as she watched Thaddeus Church turn on the starship's various systems.
With every click, every whir, and every ding of confirmation, her heart skipped a beat.
The timing was off.
She had a single chance.
If Thaddeus Church didn't deign to inspect the ship before launching, the guerilla squad would be able to accomplish a feat far surpassing their original intention.
But if he performed the inspection as he was supposed to…
'Cherry Blossom Squad, prepare to fall.'
As their name suggested, they would become one with death, and use their deaths to spread desolation to their enemies.
