He Has Helpers

"Try you?" The middle-aged woman scoffed, her voice laced with disdain.

"You are just a Sky rank, and my soldiers are all Grand Masters... Do you truly think this will end well with you fighting us?" she asked.

"You are the commander of the three-eyed race... and also a Heavenly Five Stage Rank warrior." Nioh chuckled, a defiant glint in his eyes.

"Do you really think I am scared of you?" he challenged.

The woman sighed, her expression softening slightly. "Your parents---"

"---Don't you dare mention my parents with that smelly mouth of yours!!" he spat out, his voice filled with venom.

CLICK!!

The plasma guns instantly aimed at him. "How dare you disrespect the commander?!" The figure behind the woman, armed with a glowing sword, hissed, ready to strike.

"Hold your ground," the commander stated, her voice firm. She continued:

"I know your parents and their death was painful, I know how you feel, but you don't have to put the blame on us... The Wendigos are also responsible for it."

"Wendigos? You fools left them to die!! My father and mother fought beside you, Jade!! But you all left them behind!!!" he yelled in a fit of rage, his voice cracking with emotion.

Jade exhaled and tapped the circular object on her chest. Her helmet rose from her armor and concealed her face, her expression now unreadable. "As a friend, I am deeply sorry for your parents, but as a commander... I must think about the future of our empire... Hand over the artifact or face the judgment under my blade," she declared.

With her words, the nine figures behind her tensed, ready to act.

"Hekhekhekhek...."

"....?"

The group was stunned. They turned their heads, searching their surroundings for the creature that had made the chilling sound.

"Hekhekhekhekhek!" Jade spun her elite-class sword, turning quickly. "Wendigos," she muttered coldly, a hint of grim determination in her voice.

BOOOOOOM!!

More than twenty Wendigos burst out from the ground, their eight-foot bodies towering menacingly before them.

"Hold Nioh... Rest of you, come with me!" She spun her sword and shot towards the Wendigos, a fierce warrior charging into battle.

"GRAAAAA!!!"

The thirty bloodthirsty Wendigos let out thunderous roars and surged forward, meeting her charge head-on.

Jade leaped into the air and smashed down on the Wendigos, instantly separating the heads of two with brutal efficiency. She landed on her feet and lunged at the others, a whirlwind of deadly grace.

'I need to escape with her distracted.' Nioh thought, his gaze darting around the chaotic scene, the artifact clenched tightly in his hand.

"Hand it over, kid!" one of the figures demanded, walking towards him.

"You are still alive because the commander wants you alive... Don't force our hands!" another hissed, their voices menacing.

Nioh stared at the two figures before him and smirked, a defiant glint in his eyes. "Catch me if you can!" He turned and shot forward, running with all his strength.

The group was on the desert, so hiding wasn't an option. He could only try to outrun two Grand Masters with his Sky 3 stage rank... which was clearly an impossible feat.

"Stop!!" The two exclaimed in surprise and shot towards him, only to be intercepted by a Wendigo that burst out from the sand directly before them.

"GRAAAAAA!!!!"

It let out an enraged shriek, its monstrous form blocking their path.

"Fuck! A Master Stage Wendigo!" A soldier spat out, coming to a screeching halt, and then lunged towards it. "Get the artifact!" he yelled to his companion.

The second soldier nodded and shot towards the running Nioh, quickly closing the distance between them. "Hand it over, kid!!" he spat out, his voice filled with urgency.

"Shit!!" Nioh cursed, pushing himself to his limit. "You will never have this!!"

WHOOSH!!!

".....??"

Nioh was stunned as a huge dark shadow blocked the sun. He raised his head to the sky, only to see a gigantic spaceship hovering directly above him.

"This?" A beam of light shot down, grabbed him, and pulled him into the spaceship.

".....??"

The soldier stopped dead in his tracks, staring as the spaceship shot forward like lightning, disappearing from the planet with Nioh in tow.

BAM!!

The last Wendigo dropped to the ground, dead, its head rolling on the sand. Jade stood before the corpses of the creatures and slowly removed the helmet from her face, her eyes ice-cold, filled with a lethal resolve.

"Whoever you are... You just became the enemy of the Three Eyes Empire," she muttered with pure killing intent, her voice a dangerous whisper.

"Commander!" a soldier called out.

"I saw it." She kept her sword, then raised her wrist and tapped the wristwatch on it.

WHOOSH!

A holographic screen appeared before them, and a woman with three eyes and a crown on her head appeared on it. "Any progress?" she asked, her voice regal and commanding.

"It seems Nioh has helpers... powerful helpers," Jade reported, her tone grave.

"Meaning?" The Queen's tone immediately changed, becoming sharper, more demanding.

"A royal starship took him away."

"Royal starship?! Only the rulers of each race can afford it, and it won't be sold to just anyone? Do you think a race wants to go against us?" The Queen's voice held a dangerous edge.

Jade was silent, deep in thought. After some consideration, she shook her head. "It can't be... The artifact has been top secret, they couldn't have known about it, unless..." Her face turned cold, a grim realization dawning on her.

"We have a spy in the castle." Her ten guards looked at one another, their expressions hidden behind their helmets, but a sense of unease permeated the air.

The Queen nodded, her jaw tightening, and gave a new order. "Come back, and find a way to locate that Royal starship! We must get the artifact back... I will look for the spies!"

"Yes!" Jade nodded and tapped her wristwatch, then raised her gaze to the sky.

"You finally succeeded in being the number one enemy of your race," she muttered, a chilling promise in her voice.

"GRAAAAAAA!!!"

"Commander! The Wendigos!" A soldier yelled, pointing towards the distance, where more than a hundred Wendigos were rushing towards them, a terrifying horde.

"One day, I will personally destroy this planet." She muttered, and with a twirl of her finger, the spaceships unleashed beams of light, just like the starship, pulling them inside.

Jade's cold gaze remained fixed on the horde of Wendigos as she floated into the air and entered the spaceship, which then turned around and flew away from the ravaged planet, leaving the monstrous tide behind.

__

[In the Battle Spaceship.]

Jade exhaled and walked towards her seat, finally collapsing into it. 'Sorry, my friend, but your son made his decision... There is nothing I can do about it.'

"Your command, Commander?" The head pilot asked, turning back to her.

"Send the other ship for investigation... We are returning to the empire." The two pilots in her ship nodded and focused intently on the controls.

"Whoever you are... Wait for me. I will personally have your head," she vowed, her fists clenched tightly, a silent promise of retribution.