Be My Shadow

BAM!

Nioh's back slammed into the wall of the spaceship, the force of the impact momentarily stealing his breath.

"Why were the Three Eyes Nation after you?" Josephine demanded, pressing his shoulder firmly against the wall.

"So you know they were the Three Eyes Nation? Why did you still help me?!" Nioh retorted, a frown creasing his brow.

"What a stubborn kid."

"....?"

Nioh looked over Josephine's shoulder, his eyes widening as the chair spun around, revealing a man with two golden wolf ears and blood-red eyes.

'What a strange combination,' he thought, a flicker of curiosity amidst his confusion.

"Strange combination?" Sunny raised an eyebrow, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.

"...?!"

Nioh was stunned. 'Did... Did he just hear my thoughts?'

Sunny stood up and walked towards him, his cape sweeping across the starship's polished floor with a soft swish.

"You think you are anything special?" he challenged. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly, the artifact appeared out of thin air, hovering between them.

".....?!"

".....!!"

Both Josephine and Nioh stared, utterly stunned by the inexplicable appearance of the object.

"Hiding something from the God wolf? Are you that dumb?" Sunny added as the artifact gracefully landed in his palm.

{Name: Birth blood star.}

{Origin: Unknown. (Egg).}

{Rank: Master rank, stage one.}

{Skills: Blood sucker: Can drain all the blood of anyone five meters radii from the user. Star burn: Create a mini star which is strong enough to wipe out a small city. Star steps: With each step taken, the user's speed and attack increases by 5%. Blood manipulation: Can manipulate and transform the blood into any non-living objects.}

'Oh?! An egg?! And it's one powerful bastard!' Sunny thought, a mild shock registering in his mind.

"You!! Give that back!!" Before Nioh could even move a muscle, a golden sword materialized in Josephine's grasp, its gleaming blade resting precisely on his neck.

Nioh gulped, staring at the formidable weapon in her hand. 'A grand-class weapon?' He quickly moved his gaze around the opulent spaceship.

'Now that I think of it... This is the Royal Starship.'

"Who are you guys?!!" he hissed out, a mix of fear and desperation in his voice.

"Queen Josephine of the Beastify race and..." Sunny walked casually back to the couch and settled down, a regal air about him. "I am the king of the Beastify race."

"....?"

Nioh stared at the two like they had both grown two extra heads, his expression a mixture of disbelief and utter confusion.

"Hahahaha!"

He burst out laughing, completely unbothered by the sword still resting on his neck. "You mean she is Queen Josephine?" he asked, gesturing to Josephine with his head.

Both Josephine and Sunny raised an eyebrow, puzzled by his sudden outburst of laughter. Seeing that the two were genuinely lost, Nioh abruptly stopped laughing.

"You really don't know anything?" he asked, his confusion now bordering on astonishment.

"Know what?" Sunny asked with a frown, his gaze still fixed on the egg in his hand.

"Okay... There are words circulating around the Three Eyes Nation and other nations that the Beastify humans will be wiped out in a week by the Wendigos..." He paused, then continued, his voice lowering, "The other nine nations are now planning on ways to take all the Beastify human territories, at least divide it between themselves."

"Those! Those bastards!!" Josephine hissed out, her eyes blazing with fury.

"You sure about this?" Sunny asked in a calm tone, his gaze still intently fixed on the egg in his hand, a strange detachment in his voice.

"Yes! My source is never wrong," Nioh asserted, his tone firm.

"That is good..." Sunny stated, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"....?"

Both Josephine and Nioh turned to Sunny, utterly perplexed.

"How is that good?" Josephine asked, voicing their shared confusion.

"The Wendigos will attack in a week, and because of this, the whole galaxy has eyes on us, waiting for our doom... But if we defeat the Wendigos, the nations will know we aren't pushovers."

'System?' Sunny mused internally.

{Master can hatch the egg by just infusing his Celestial energy in the egg. Note! When a crack appears, Master must drop his blood through the crack.}

Sunny nodded and stood up. "A week? I only wish it could be sooner," he added, a hint of anticipation in his voice.

Josephine and Nioh looked at one another, then turned back to Sunny, staring at him as if he were a complete fool.

"Is he really your husband?" Nioh whispered to Josephine, incredulity clear in his voice.

"Shut up," Josephine snapped, her glare silencing him instantly.

".....!"

"Okay, Nioh..." Sunny turned to Nioh and walked towards him, stopping a foot away. "You have two options: Join me and become my shadow... You will receive five hundred thousand Galaxy crystals per month. If you serve me well, you will gain more treasures."

Out of everything Sunny said, Nioh only heard 'five hundred thousand Galaxy crystals per month.'

"I agree!!" he quickly yelled, his enthusiasm catching both Sunny and Josephine off guard.

"You accept? Even knowing about the attack heading to the Beastify kingdom?" Josephine asked in confusion, surprised by his immediate acceptance.

"Yes!" he stated emphatically.

'Come on, Queen! That is 500k galaxy crystals! Who will refuse it?!' Nioh thought, his mind already spinning with possibilities. He then added, 'If I have enough money... I can have my revenge on the Three Eyes Nation, and also get the pirates under my control... Isn't that great?'

Sunny frowned slightly at Nioh's internal monologue, then turned around and walked back to the couch. 'I will give you enough money that you will never leave... But first, let's visit these pirates; they will be helpful to me,' he thought, and settled onto the couch, a cunning glint in his eyes.

Josephine kept her sword and released Nioh, who immediately turned to Sunny with a wide smile.

"My King, do you want to know what the artifact is?" he asked, eager to please.

Beep!

"....?"

Nioh pulled out his phone, and his eyes widened in disbelief, seeing 500k in his account balance.

"That is your payment for this month," Sunny said, then added, "I know what this is."

"Thank you, Thank you, My King!" Nioh exclaimed, bowing deeply.

"Now, Nioh... Can you remove that hood?" Sunny asked, his tone commanding.

Nioh nodded, his hands moving quickly to remove his hood, revealing shoulder-length blue hair and three striking blue eyes.

"Good... Now, give me the coordinates of the pirate hideout."

"Pirates?" Nioh was stunned for a moment, but quickly nodded his head and gave Sunny the coordinates, who promptly sent them to his cosmic brain.

{Destination changed.}

{Hold on for a space jump.}

Josephine and Nioh quickly rushed to different seats, fastening their seatbelts in anticipation.

{Space jump in 3, 2, 1.}

WHOOSH!!!

The starship shot forward, disappearing instantly into the vastness of space.

______

In a small planet hidden deep in space, concealed from the watchful eyes of the nations, sat the formidable stronghold of the pirates. This group consisted of countless races, united only by their desire for freedom, their love for robbing, their pursuit of pleasure, and most of all, their insatiable greed for money—everything that any man's dream could encompass.

But now... They were in a tough situation. The nations had significantly strengthened all their defenses, making stealing and plundering incredibly difficult for their group. Frustration simmered, forcing them to vent their anger on their leaders, demanding a solution to their current predicament.

Amidst this simmering chaos, a Royal Starship suddenly appeared in the planet's atmosphere, its majestic presence instantly silencing them all.