Chapter 86: Chapter 86 - A Dangerous Feeling

Chapter 86 — A Dangerous Feeling

The celebration across Astral Prime lasted all night.

For the first time in twenty years, the people of the Astral Federation believed their world might actually survive.

The invasion fleets were gone.

The corrupted monsters throughout the planet slowly disappeared after the Assimilation General died.

And most importantly—

people still had hope.

Honestly?

That mattered more than military victory sometimes.

Massive synchronization lanterns floated across the night sky while music filled the streets beneath the silver towers of Astral Prime.

Everywhere Kaiser looked—

people were smiling.

Children ran through the city carrying glowing blue lanterns shaped like synchronization stars. Restaurants reopened despite the destruction while exhausted soldiers laughed together for the first time in weeks.

The entire world felt alive again.

Kaiser stood quietly on one of the highest balconies of the Astral Palace while looking down at the city beneath him.

The cool night wind moved through his black combat coat softly.

Blue synchronization particles still drifted around the atmosphere after the battle, making the entire city glow beautifully beneath the stars.

Honestly?

It was peaceful.

Which felt strange.

"You disappeared from the celebration."

Kaiser glanced sideways.

Elena walked onto the balcony carrying two glasses filled with glowing blue liquid.

"You looked busy."

"I was kidnapped by twelve government officials asking questions about synchronization theory."

She handed him one of the glasses before sighing dramatically.

"I almost died."

Fair.

Kaiser looked at the glowing drink curiously.

"...What is this?"

Lyra suddenly appeared behind them.

"Astral nectar."

The princess smiled slightly.

"Our world’s most famous drink."

Kaiser took one small sip.

Then blinked once.

"...Sweet."

Elena immediately laughed.

"You sound surprised."

"I expected something dangerous."

Honestly reasonable expectation considering space civilizations lately.

Lyra leaned against the balcony railing beside them while looking toward the city below quietly.

She no longer wore combat armor now.

Instead, she wore a long dark blue royal dress decorated with silver synchronization patterns.

Honestly?

Very elegant.

Kaiser accidentally stared slightly too long again.

Elena immediately noticed.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

"Kaiser."

"...Hmm?"

"You’re staring again."

Kaiser calmly drank more nectar.

"I’m thinking."

Lyra looked confused.

Elena looked completely unconvinced.

"You use that excuse every time."

Fair.

A comfortable silence settled across the balcony afterward while distant music echoed through the city below.

For once—

there were no battles.

No alarms.

No screaming civilians.

Just peace.

Lyra suddenly looked toward Kaiser quietly.

"You really fought the invasion fleet alone."

Kaiser nodded slightly.

"Yes."

"...Why?"

That question surprised him slightly.

Lyra continued softly.

"You didn’t know our world."

Her golden eyes reflected the synchronization lanterns floating across the sky.

"You had no reason to risk yourself for us."

Kaiser stayed silent briefly.

Then answered honestly.

"People were in danger."

Simple answer.

Human answer.

But for some reason—

Lyra’s chest tightened slightly hearing it.

Honestly dangerous sign.

Elena noticed immediately.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Before the atmosphere could become stranger—

Astra’s voice suddenly echoed through Kaiser’s synchronization pathway privately.

"Multiple emotional irregularities detected."

Kaiser blinked once.

"...What?"

"Princess Lyra and Elena displaying elevated emotional synchronization responses around you."

Silence.

Kaiser slowly looked forward again.

"...Astra."

"Yes?"

"Stop analyzing emotions."

"Understood."

Pause.

"However, probability of romantic attraction remains high."

Kaiser immediately muted Astra.

Honestly survival instinct.

Elena suddenly narrowed her eyes slightly.

"...Why do you look traumatized."

"Nothing."

Very suspicious answer.

Lyra tilted her head curiously.

"Are you okay?"

"Perfectly."

Absolutely not perfectly.

The balcony doors suddenly opened again.

Several Astral Federation soldiers rushed outside urgently.

"Princess!"

Lyra’s expression immediately sharpened.

"What happened?"

"The council is requesting emergency attendance immediately."

The soldiers looked nervous.

"...It’s about the Assimilation King."

Silence spread instantly.

Even Elena’s expression became serious again.

The Assimilation General mentioned a king before retreating.

And honestly?

That sounded dangerous.

Very dangerous.

A few minutes later—

the royal war chamber filled with tension.

Massive holographic maps floated above the room while Astral Federation commanders argued loudly around the central table.

The moment Kaiser entered—

the entire room became silent.

Honestly?

People were starting to react to him like a walking natural disaster.

Fair.

One older commander immediately stood up.

"That’s him?"

"The Synchronization King?"

Another military officer stared at Kaiser carefully.

"The pressure around him is unbelievable..."

Lyra walked directly toward the center of the chamber.

"Report."

A massive holographic projection appeared instantly.

Purple corruption spread across multiple nearby star systems.

Dozens of worlds.

Hundreds of corrupted fleets.

And at the center of everything—

one gigantic synchronization distortion larger than planets.

The room became silent again.

One commander spoke weakly.

"...That’s the Assimilation Core."

Astra immediately began analyzing the projection.

"Energy readings exceed previous enemy signatures by approximately four hundred percent."

Honestly?

Not ideal.

Lyra looked toward Kaiser seriously.

"The Assimilation civilization has existed for centuries."

Purple corruption spread across the holographic galaxy map continuously.

"They consume civilizations through forced synchronization."

Elena crossed her arms slightly.

"So basically evil Human Network."

Honestly accurate.

Several Astral Federation commanders looked nervous after hearing that comparison.

Lyra continued quietly.

"They erase individuality."

"Everyone becomes part of one collective mind."

Kaiser’s expression slowly darkened.

He hated systems like that.

The Human Network existed because people chose each other willingly.

Forced unity was just another prison.

One commander suddenly activated another projection.

A humanoid figure appeared.

Tall.

Covered in black synchronization armor.

Purple glowing eyes.

And behind him—

thousands of corrupted synchronization rings floated like halos.

The room immediately became tense.

"The Assimilation King."

Even the commanders sounded afraid saying the title.

Kaiser studied the projection carefully.

The figure somehow felt... familiar.

Dangerously familiar.

Astra’s voice suddenly echoed privately again.

"Warning. Synchronization pattern similarity detected."

Kaiser narrowed his eyes slightly.

"...Similarity to what."

Silence.

Then—

"To you."

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The room suddenly erupted into arguments.

"We must evacuate nearby systems!"

"Our fleets can’t survive another invasion!"

"The Assimilation King destroyed entire civilizations personally!"

One commander slammed his fist against the table desperately.

"We’re already dead if he comes here!"

BOOOOOOM!

Blue synchronization pressure exploded across the room instantly.

Silence.

Everyone froze.

Kaiser calmly looked toward the terrified commander.

"Stop panicking."

Honestly?

That line carried terrifying pressure.

The commander immediately sat down quietly.

Lyra secretly smiled slightly.

Ridiculous.

But effective.

Kaiser looked toward the galaxy projection silently.

The Assimilation King.

A ruler using forced synchronization to control civilizations.

Honestly?

He already hated him.

Elena suddenly noticed Kaiser’s expression.

"...You’re planning something."

Kaiser answered immediately.

"Yes."

Lyra looked toward him sharply.

"What."

Blue synchronization light reflected in Kaiser’s eyes.

"If we wait..."

The corruption spread further across the holographic galaxy.

"...more worlds die."

The room became silent again.

One commander immediately shook his head.

"That’s impossible!"

"You can’t attack the Assimilation Core directly!"

Another looked horrified.

"That place is protected by millions of corrupted soldiers!"

Kaiser calmly looked toward them.

"Then I’ll destroy them too."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Honestly?

Sometimes Kaiser said insane things so casually people forgot how terrifying he actually was.

Elena sighed softly.

"...There it is."

Lyra blinked once.

"...You’re serious."

"Yes."

No hesitation.

No doubt.

Just certainty.

And honestly?

That certainty was dangerously attractive.

Lyra immediately looked away slightly afterward.

Dangerous.

Very dangerous.

The older commanders throughout the room slowly realized something unbelievable.

The man standing in front of them genuinely believed he could fight an entire interstellar civilization alone.

And the terrifying part?

After watching today’s battle—

they weren’t completely sure he was wrong.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

The emergency meeting lasted nearly three more hours.

Astral Federation officials explained everything they knew about the Assimilation civilization.

They conquered worlds through synchronization infection.

Entire populations became connected into one collective consciousness.

Resistance disappeared.

Individuality disappeared.

Civilizations stopped existing as separate people.

Honestly horrifying.

Kaiser hated it immediately.

Near the end of the meeting, Lyra finally dismissed the exhausted commanders.

The room slowly emptied afterward until only Kaiser, Elena, Lyra, and Astra’s hologram remained.

Silence settled briefly.

Then Elena stretched tiredly.

"I need sleep before Kaiser decides to punch another galaxy tomorrow."

Fair.

Lyra smiled slightly.

"You can both stay inside the royal palace tonight."

Elena immediately looked interested.

"...Royal guest rooms?"

"Yes."

Elena looked toward Kaiser seriously.

"We’re staying."

Honestly immediate decision.

A few minutes later—

palace servants guided them through enormous crystal hallways glowing with synchronization light.

The Astral Palace honestly looked absurdly luxurious. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Floating gardens.

Silver waterfalls.

Massive windows showing entire galaxies outside.

Kaiser quietly looked around while walking beside Elena.

"...This place is excessive."

Elena immediately disagreed.

"No."

Honestly fair.

Lyra walked slightly ahead of them before stopping near a large doorway.

"These are your rooms."

Two enormous royal suites waited beyond the doors.

Elena immediately looked impressed.

"...I could live here forever."

Kaiser looked completely unsurprised.

Then Lyra suddenly looked toward him quietly.

"Kaiser."

"Hm?"

"...Can we talk privately for a moment?"

Elena immediately narrowed her eyes slightly.

Interesting reaction.

Kaiser nodded once.

"Fine."

A few moments later—

Kaiser followed Lyra onto one of the palace’s upper stargazing terraces.

The night sky above Astral Prime looked beautiful.

Thousands of synchronization stars glowed across space while distant fleets moved through orbit around the recovering planet.

For several seconds—

neither of them spoke.

Then Lyra finally sighed softly.

"...You really plan to fight the Assimilation King."

Kaiser leaned against the terrace railing calmly.

"Yes."

Lyra looked frustrated immediately.

"You don’t even know how strong he is!"

Blue synchronization particles drifted around the terrace quietly.

"You could die."

Kaiser stayed silent briefly.

Then answered honestly.

"People are already dying."

That immediately shut down her argument.

Honestly?

Unfair answer.

Lyra looked away toward the stars quietly.

"...You really are impossible."

Kaiser looked toward her.

"You said that before."

"Yes."

A small smile appeared on Lyra’s face.

"...I still mean it."

The wind moved softly through her dark blue hair while golden synchronization lights reflected in her eyes beautifully.

Honestly?

Very dangerous atmosphere.

Lyra slowly stepped closer toward him afterward.

"Kaiser..."

Her voice became quieter.

"When you arrived today..."

She looked down briefly.

"...for the first time in years, I felt safe."

Silence.

Kaiser looked slightly surprised.

Lyra laughed weakly afterward.

"Honestly embarrassing confession."

"No."

She blinked once.

Kaiser looked toward the stars calmly.

"...I’m glad."

Simple answer.

But somehow—

that made Lyra’s heart beat even faster.

Honestly?

Extremely dangerous.

Then suddenly—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The entire planet shook violently.

Both of them instantly looked upward.

Purple synchronization corruption exploded across orbit again.

Emergency alarms spread throughout Astral Prime immediately.

Astra’s voice echoed across the palace urgently.

"Warning. Massive synchronization signature detected."

The night sky cracked apart.

Then—

a gigantic purple eye slowly opened above the planet.

Far larger than the previous generals.

The pressure alone froze the atmosphere.

Even Kaiser’s expression became serious instantly.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Then a voice spread across the entire world.

Cold.

Ancient.

Powerful.

"Synchronization King."

The stars themselves seemed to tremble.

"I have come personally."

Silence spread across Astral Prime.

The Assimilation King had arrived.