"You... You are Lester?" Sunny's voice was devoid of panic, replaced by cold calculation. He snapped his fingers, and the five rescued children instantly vanished, safely transported to Eldoria.

​"I see you are the cautious type." Lester's image on the screen slowly nodded, an appreciative smirk playing on his lips. "Teleporting the kids away is a very good idea. A commendable display of quick thinking."

​Sunny didn't respond to the praise. He strode toward the main command chair and sat down, meeting Lester's gaze across the vast emptiness of space and the intervening holographic screen.

​"Why did you go through all this trouble to lure me onto this ship?" Sunny demanded, his focus absolute.

​'He must have someone watching me, or some terrifying scrying ability,' Sunny thought, struggling to reconcile how this being, who wasn't even physically present, knew every detail of his movements.

"That's the only explanation for his omniscient knowledge.'

​"You possess two things that rightfully belong to me," Lester stated, raising two perfectly manicured fingers.

​"Two?" Sunny raised an eyebrow, masking the panic that tried to surface.

​"Yes. Ellen and Jinx." Lester's smirk widened, chillingly possessive. "I just need these sisters back, and you can keep your trivial life."

​"...?!"

Sunny's composure wavered internally. 'He knows about Ellen and Jinx! How in the Nine Hells did he know this? He was planning this long before Lilith's attack!'

​"You're wondering how I know this, aren't you?" Lester leaned back, a picture of aristocratic ease. "It's simple. You managed to anger my Mother-in-law. And coming out alive from that encounter earned you my genuine respect. Even if it was only a tiny fragment of her power you fought."

​'Mother-in-law?! He is Lilith's Son-in-law?!' The realization horrified Sunny. The scope of his enemies had just expanded to an impossibly high aristocratic echelon.

​"Trust me, what you did stunned the entire Supreme and Great Worlds," Lester continued, casually tossing out terrifying names and concepts.

"You are quite famous now. Although they don't know you, they know the ruler of the lower world defeated her fragment."

​'Lilith must be a staggeringly powerful figure in the higher worlds if defeating her mere fragment brings me fame. But if I can't even face Lester, how can I ever defeat his Mother-in-law? I need information, any edge I can get.' Sunny quickly decided to push the confrontation. He looked up at the screen.

​"You aren't getting the girls," he stated flatly.

​Lester chuckled, a sound full of patronizing pity. "You genuinely believe you can stop me? When my Mother-in-law shattered the world's restrictions, that Angel managed to stop the complete collapse. I was moments away from sending an entire legion of powerhouses to collect them. Now, I am forced to wait a tedious six months." He sighed softly, as if inconvenienced by a minor delay.

​'He knew about Ellen and Jinx even before Lilith attacked! I owe that Angel everything. Six months. That's my timeline. I must get astronomically stronger in six months.' Sunny absorbed the critical information, then shook his head at Lester.

​"I won't let you," he reiterated, his conviction hardening.

​"You can't stop me. You're an ant," Lester said, shaking his head with dismissive finality.

"You must at least be a Seventh Order Powerhouse before you can even think about defeating me. I actually thought you might be a worthy opponent, but you'll be dead before I even make my move."

​"No one can kill me," Sunny muttered, crossing his arms.

​"Please, spare me," Lester scoffed:

"Aren't you embarrassed saying something so childish? 'No one can kill me' is simply stupid." He leaned closer to the screen, his tone shifting to a cold, educational menace.

​"My Mother-in-law has five Core Slaves and ten Normal Slaves. Each of the Normal Slaves alone possesses the strength of a First, Second, and even Third Order Powerhouse. How do you expect to win against them, let alone her army?" He paused, letting the weight of the numbers settle.

​"I'm engaging in this 'chat' because I thought we could make a deal. When my legion arrives, you should peacefully surrender the girls. Fighting me will only guarantee your world's complete destruction."

​Sunny stood up from the commander's seat. His initial fear had curdled into a ferocious, focused resolve. "No matter what you do, no matter how powerful you and your Mother-in-law think you are, I will still stop both of you." He walked deliberately toward the door.

​"I never lose."

​Lester's voice stopped him, tinged with amusement. "You never lose. I look forward to seeing that tested. When you finally manage to enter the Higher World, Madeleine will have the task of testing your strength."

​Sunny froze, hearing the name. 'Madeleine?' He looked back over his shoulder at the holographic image.

​"And who is Madeleine?"

​"My beloved wife, and Lilith's daughter."

​'Lilith's daughter... Are all my enemies seriously related? Fucked! I must get stronger, and fast.' Sunny processed the familial connection, nodding grimly.

​"Lester Blood," Sunny said, his voice now calm and dangerous. "We will wait and see. Time will tell who the strongest truly is." He turned and walked out of the pilot's room just as the screen flickered, shutting down the connection.

​Sunny flew out of the crippled spaceship and watched as he mentally commanded it to explode, turning into a cloud of useless dust:

"It seems I have to unlock those two bloodlines immediately. Ellen and Jinx should start mastering their powers, because in six months, they'll need every ounce of it." He shot into the black expanse, flying away with a singular, terrifying goal: preparation.

_____

​[Great World.]

[Lester Faction.]

​Lester sat on a throne of shimmering obsidian, watching the holographic projection of the exploding spaceship shatter before him.

​"He actually walked out on me," he muttered, a light, almost delighted chuckle escaping his lips.

​A woman of equally terrifying beauty, with black hair, and eyes that held the colder, ancient crimson of her mother, stepped forward.

​"My love," she said, her voice smooth and deferential. "We can't destroy the Lower World. Not only is Aurelia protecting it, but that other person is also a formidable obstacle."

​"I know, Madeleine. But Sunny don't know this." Lester replied, his grin returning.

"I don't have the strength to challenge those two directly, but your Mother has given me the clear go-ahead. She will protect us from retaliation." He moved his gaze over his wife's beautiful body.

​"We just have to wait for six months. And the world—and those priceless girls—will be on our palm."

​"Yes, my love." Madeleine bowed her head, her beautiful face concealing untold power and obedience.

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