You Have Thirty Minutes

"Star?" the Leader muttered, the name a question on his lips as he looked up at the winged figure.

"Okay then, we will—"

BOOOOOOOM!!!!

Star, the Leader, and every soldier on the wall simultaneously whipped their heads toward the distant horizon. A blinding purple lightning bolt cleaved through the sky, smashing into the ground with a force that shook the very foundations beneath their feet.

"....?!"

WHOOSH!

"Huh?" Star raised her hand, her gaze fixed on the faint, purple glow emanating from it. 'Why am I glowing?' she thought, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

Swhooosh!

A silent wave of energy rippled outwards from her, washing over the Leader and the city wall with an almost imperceptible force. The wave continued its expansion, passing through the entirety of the city.

'I… I broke through?!' Star was speechless, the realization dawning on her.

'Did she just enter the Fifth Star of the Grand Master Rank?!' The Leader was utterly flabbergasted, his mind struggling to process the sudden surge of power. He turned his head back towards the horizon.

"What caused that lightning…? Whatever it is, it caused her boost in strength… But what is it?" he muttered to himself.

"Did Brother get stronger?" Star murmured, still bewildered by the inexplicable change.

'Wait!!! Brother?!!' The Leader's eyes widened in horror, a cold dread creeping into his heart.

"Why are you still here?!!" Star's voice, now imbued with a new authority, cut through his thoughts.

"Huh?" He looked up at her, caught off guard.

"You have half an hour to leave the city… In 30 minutes, my ships will launch missiles here and level the whole place." With that stark pronouncement, Star turned and flew back towards the imposing warships.

"What should we do?" the man beside him stammered, his face pale.

"Are you mad?!!!" The Leader hissed, then roared at his troops, "Everyone! Retreat! We already got the resources we mined… We are leaving, now!" He spun on his heel, rushing down the stairs, his soldiers scrambling to follow in his wake.

_____

[Xenon Faction.]

Princess Sasha reclined gracefully on an opulent chair, sipping a cup of tea. Her maid stood dutifully by her side, while ten elite Xenon soldiers, clad in Elite-class armor and armed to the teeth, maintained a respectful distance.

"My princess, the sun isn't good for your health," the maid fretted, her voice laced with concern.

Sasha took another delicate sip of her tea before placing the cup on the table. "We are Xenon. Apart from the dragons, no one has stronger skin than us… The sun isn't my problem." Her gaze was fixed on the ten warships steadily approaching them in the distance.

The maid and soldiers exchanged curious glances as the massive vessels grew closer.

"It seems the Beastify race found a powerful backer… Or someone with unbelievable strength," the princess mused, picking up her teacup once more. "I can't wait to find out." She added, just as the warships halted, hovering 100 meters away.

A single beam of light shot down from one of the ships, and Josephine materialized on the ground. She wasn't in her usual armor, but simply dressed in a white top and black pants.

"What a warm welcome," Josephine said, then, to the utter astonishment of the maid and soldiers, she casually sat down directly across from the princess, staring straight at her.

"…..?!!" The maid and soldiers were dumbfounded.

Josephine picked up the second teacup on the table and took a sip. "How are you doing, Princess Sasha?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Come on, bestie… That letter almost caught me off-guard…"

'Bestie?!!!!' The maid and soldiers were utterly dumbfounded, their minds struggling to comprehend the casual familiarity.

"I know… It was fun sending it to you," Josephine said with a smirk.

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "Sorry I couldn't help with the battle, my father's instructed—"

"—No worries," Josephine cut her off smoothly, then dropped a bombshell. "I am married."

"...?!!"

Sasha was stunned.

"To Xanor?" she asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Nope… Xanor is a prick… I married my true mate." Josephine said with a radiant smile, setting her teacup down.

Sasha's gaze drifted to the ring on Josephine's finger, then to the ten formidable warships hovering behind her. Her eyes then moved to the deceptively simple-looking necklace around Josephine's neck, finally settling on the bracelet on her hand.

'These are all high grand class items, each possesses skills on their own.' she thought.

"Your husband… How wealthy is he?" Sasha asked, an incredulous tone in her voice.

"I don't know myself," Josephine replied with a small, knowing smile. "I came personally to thank you for your help…" she added.

Sasha waved a dismissive hand.

"No… It's a win-win for us… I mine, transfer 50% to you and I take 50%… Both sides happy… I'm just upset why that father of mine refused to help."

"It's understandable. The Wendigos were in the thousands… To assist us, you would have had to send more than 5,000 soldiers… We both know each other in this planet, and only for one year at most… Your father doesn't know that," Josephine said, staring into her teacup.

"Forget all that… What happened in the battle? I hope no one got hurt…? I was even planning on sneaking some troops to help."

"No one got hurt," Josephine answered.

"We defeated the Wendigos, now… We are taking back all our territories, including this one."

"I understand… I already informed my father. He asked us to return, maybe scared for my safety if a battle breaks out," Sasha said with a chuckle.

"You'll be fine. You're a Grand Master Stage 7… You can look after yourself," Josephine said with a reassuring smile.

"Look after myself? Look at you… Some days ago, I was stronger than you… Now, you're a Grand Master Stage 5… And with all these items on you… Forget it," Sasha said with a playful pout.

"Oh… Ask your father to get you one," Josephine said with a grin.

"He'd rather spend it on the nation's growth than on his only daughter… Out of the ten nations, the Xenon nation is holding top 6 in strength… To him, we are still weak," Sasha pointed out, a hint of resignation in her voice.

"I understand… My nation is still in Top 9." Josephine stood up. "That will change when the next Nations Contest starts."

"Yep, a battle of younger generations…" Sasha also rose to her feet. "You don't have any kids. How will your nation partake? You should know only blood relations can join this competition, and Queens and Kings aren't allowed."

Josephine was silent for a few seconds before she finally spoke. "I have a daughter."

"...?!!!"

Sasha was utterly dumbfounded.

"Da… Da… Daughter?!!!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with disbelief.

"Yep… I will get going… The competition is still months from now."

"Next year," Sasha nodded, still reeling from the revelation.

"Daughter?! How?! When?!" She couldn't hold back her overwhelming curiosity and blurted out the questions.

Josephine simply smiled, turned, and began to walk away. "You will meet her when the time is right," she said, continuing her stride back towards the warships.

"Oh!" Josephine stopped and looked back over her shoulder. "You should get going… We are leveling this city to the ground in 30 minutes… Take care." With that, she continued her walk back to the warships.