I continued forward toward the front of the fleet. The white sails of Commander Seven’s vessel gradually became clearer as I approached, standing out among the crimson banners surrounding it.
I had covered barely half the remaining distance when a brilliant beam of condensed soul force suddenly erupted from the ship ahead and crossed the space between us almost instantly.
The attack was fast but not fast enough for me.
Without slowing down, I simply raised my hand. Silver-violet soul force gathered around my palm and the beam shattered against it, dispersing into thousands of glowing fragments that scattered harmlessly through the air.
A second beam followed.
Then a third.
Then ten more.
The attacks arrived from different angles, converging upon me in a coordinated pattern clearly designed to test my abilities before I ever reached the ship.
I continued flying.
Each beam that approached was casually brushed aside. Some collapsed beneath a wave of soul force. Others were crushed outright when my palm closed around them. None possessed enough power to force me to alter my course.
Eventually the attacks stopped.
A figure rose from the ship below.
She appeared to be a middle-aged human woman dressed in a dark black coat trimmed with silver embroidery. Unlike the other souls I had seen so far, she carried herself with complete confidence, floating upward with her hands folded behind her back while calmly observing me.
The first thing I noticed was her strength. She was the first transcendent I met in the null realm. Strong compared to the others aboard the armada but insignificant compared to me.
The second thing I noticed was her surprised expression.
"A living one..." she muttered softly.
For several moments she simply stared at me before a small smile appeared on her face.
"Well. This is certainly unusual."
She stopped several dozen meters away.
"My name is Bella but you can refer to me as Commander Seven."
I nodded.
"Nice to meet you, commander seven."
"And you attacked me with those attacks because?"
She smiled.
"That’s just precaution to keep the small flies away."
"Is that so?"
"Offcourse but who would have thought that a living man would appear from nowhere."
Her gaze swept over me carefully.
"So tell me, Mister. Why exactly were you looking for me?"
There was little point hiding it.
"I need a way into the Prime Territory."
Recognition immediately appeared in her eyes.
"Ah."
She nodded slowly.
"That explains a lot."
I waited.
The commander floated slightly closer.
"The Prime Territory is one of the most heavily regulated regions in this part of the Null Realm. Travelers are monitored. Visitors are documented. Unauthorized entry is.....almost impossible."
Her smile widened.
"And since you’ve come looking for the Dex Armada, I assume you aren’t interested in the official route."
"No."
"You want to be smuggled inside."
"Yes."
The honesty seemed to amuse her. For several moments she remained silent while studying me. Then she asked the question I had expected.
"And what are you offering in return?"
I folded my arms.
"What is it that you want?"
The smile on her face became almost mischievous.
"Oh, that’s easy. I want you to kill three people."
I blinked. For the first time since arriving in the Null Realm, I genuinely wasn’t expecting the answer. Commander Seven seemed to enjoy my reaction immensely.
"Commander Eleven. Commander Twelve. And Commander Seventeen."
The names hung in the air between us. I stared at her. She stared back without hesitation.
Eventually I spoke. "You want me to kill three other commanders. And then you’ll help me enter the Prime Territory."
"Correct."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Why?"
Commander Seven’s smile remained.
"For personal reasons. You can understand how difficult it is to survive in a criminal organisation."
She simply wanted them dead. The strange part was that she wasn’t trying to manipulate me. She was being completely direct. I looked toward the distant fleet.
The task itself wasn’t difficult. The implications were another matter entirely. I had entered the Null Realm only hours ago. I knew nothing about the political situation. Nothing about these commanders. Nothing about their history.
Accepting the request immediately would be foolish. Yet refusing meant losing my simplest route into the Prime Territory. My thoughts drifted briefly toward Augustus. The Gatekeeper had sent me here intentionally. Knowing him, there was probably a reason.
After several seconds I finally sighed.
"Fine."
Commander Seven raised an eyebrow.
"Fine?"
"I’ll do it."
The surprise on her face lasted only a moment before the smile returned.
"Well now. That was easier than expected."
I pointed toward her.
"Wait here."
Then before she could respond, I released my perception. The world expanded. The fleet exploded outward inside my awareness.
Thousands of ships. Millions of souls. Countless streams of soul force moving through the armada. Among them, twenty-three powerful signatures stood apart from the rest.
The commanders.
I found Eleven immediately. Without another word I tapped my foot against empty space. The force beneath me shattered. My body shot forward.
The fleet became a blur. Ships vanished behind me. Moments later Commander Eleven’s vessel appeared ahead.
I landed directly on its upper deck. The impact cracked the soul-forged surface beneath my feet.
Alarms immediately began activating throughout the ship.
Guards turned.
Sailors shouted.
None of it mattered. I had already found him. The command chamber stood near the center of the vessel.
One step carried me across the deck. Another brought me through the corridors. A third took me directly before the reinforced doors.
I didn’t slow down. The doors exploded inward.
A large man wearing dark armor sat behind a command table covered in projections. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of me standing inside his chamber.
To his credit, he reacted immediately. Soul force surged around his body. A sword appeared in his hand and a shield activated around his body.
It wasn’t enough.
I crossed the room before he could launch his attack. My finger touched his forehead.
The result was instantaneous.
The soul force within his body collapsed inward before erupting outward in a violent wave of silver light. His form disintegrated completely, breaking apart into countless fragments that scattered through the chamber.
A portion of that soul energy flowed toward me automatically. The soul force merged into my own. The process lasted less than a second.
Across the ship, alarms began screaming. Across nearby vessels, warning signals activated. Across the armada, crimson lights erupted one after another.
The giant formation that had been moving steadily across the Soul Sea started slowing as confusion spread from ship to ship.
And on the 7th ship, Commander Seven was laughing loudly.