Chapter 120: Arachanids

Louis stood on the rooftop, his gaze fixed on the distant skyline as the Crimson Reckoning’s message continued to occupy his thoughts.

?The masked man’s declaration had been broadcast across the entire Astral Dominion.

Whatever the organization’s ultimate objective was, seizing hundreds of thousands of civilian locations and taking countless hostages was an act of unprecedented audacity.

?Louis had witnessed innumerable galactic conflicts throughout his long life, but something about this specific incident deeply troubled him.

?The attackers had arrived equipped with advanced, unfamiliar weaponry, executed a flawlessly coordinated planet-wide assault, and managed to secure an extraordinary number of strategic positions before planetary authorities could even react.

?There was a level of preparation here that he simply couldn’t ignore.

?Just as he was contemplating his next move, his communicator vibrated against his wrist.

?Louis glanced at the screen. The encrypted message was from the officer he had tasked with analyzing the captured firearm.

’?That was remarkably fast.’

?He accepted the call.

?A crisp holographic display materialized before him, projecting the image of the young female officer. She snapped into a salute, her expression deadly serious.

?"Great Overseer, we’ve completed our initial forensic analysis," she began, skipping formalities. "After our weapons research division examined the blaster, we discovered that it was engineered to imitate standard Dominion-issued weaponry. However, the imitation was executed with subtle flaws. Although the external casing closely resembles our military blasters, the internal components and energy compression mechanisms are fundamentally different."

?Louis’s expression remained completely neutral. "So, someone deliberately wanted these weapons to appear as though they belonged to our military."

?"Precisely, sir." The officer’s lips tightened into a grim line. "Furthermore, we’ve successfully identified the origin of the primary components. They were manufactured within the sovereign territory of the Arachnid Civilization."

?Louis’s eyes narrowed into cold, dangerous slits. "The Arachnids?"

?"Yes, sir." A subtle trace of malice entered the officer’s voice as she confirmed the discovery.

?Louis exhaled sharply through his nose. "I should have expected as much."

?The Arachnid Civilization was one of the Astral Dominion’s oldest and most bitter rivals.

?Both galactic civilizations had entered the Lord’s Domain around the exact same historical era, though the Arachnids had awakened slightly earlier.

Ever since, their relationship had been defined by fierce competition, mutual hostility, and an unending struggle for cosmic influence.

?Neither side had ever been willing to concede an inch to the other’s growing power.

?Their ongoing feud had taken many forms throughout history.

Sometimes they fought through crippling economic sanctions and cold political maneuvering; at other times, they waged brutal proxy wars, backing rival sub-factions and secretly supplying high-tier weaponry to hostile planetary governments.

There had even been several instances where their territorial disputes escalated into direct, catastrophic fleet engagements.

?Yet despite centuries of bloody hostility, neither civilization had managed to secure a decisive, lasting advantage over the other.

?The Astral Dominion possessed vast military strength, an extensive network of affiliated worlds, and powerful Ascendant Lords capable of altering the tides of war.

The Arachnids, meanwhile, had earned a terrifying reputation for their high-tech ingenuity, deep intelligence networks, and a complete willingness to employ dark, unconventional methods to achieve their ambitions.

?Their rivalry had persisted for so long that many citizens across both realms had come to regard it as an inevitable, permanent feature of intergalactic politics.

?And now, the Crimson Reckoning had surfaced.

?The deliberate deployment of weaponry engineered to mimic Dominion military gear was a deeply sinister ploy.

If evidence of a planet-wide civilian massacre ultimately pointed toward the Dominion itself, the political fallout would be catastrophic.

?Citizens across thousands of worlds would accuse their government of gross incompetence, systemic corruption, or even direct complicity.

The deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians would spark uncontrollable public outrage.

?If the Arachnids were indeed responsible for secretly funding and supplying the terrorists, they had likely intended that exact outcome.

?Of course, Louis was far too experienced to accept simple physical evidence at face value.

Resemblance alone wasn’t definitive proof of direct Arachnid involvement; the weapons could have been stolen, acquired through black-market intermediaries, or deliberately designed to frame the Arachnids in a complex double-bluff.

?Nevertheless, the discovery was massive.

?Someone desperately wanted the Astral Dominion to look responsible for a horrifying massacre, and the Arachnids possessed both the technical capability and the geopolitical motive to exploit the resulting chaos.

?Louis’s gaze grew exceptionally cold.

’If this is truly their doing, they have crossed an unpardonable line.’

?Beside him, Ruby remained unusually quiet.

?The little girl stood with her book pressed tightly against her chest, listening intently to the encrypted exchange between the Overseer and his subordinate.

?She was intelligent enough to recognize that the situation was grave. The terrorists had used weapons engineered to look like the Dominion’s, and the shadowy forces backing them might belong to a hostile rival civilization.

?Still, she wasn’t entirely certain whether she was supposed to be privy to such high-level intelligence.

?’Am I even allowed to hear this?’

?Ruby glanced up at Louis.

?He appeared completely unconcerned by her presence, speaking openly about an intergalactic conspiracy in front of a seven-year-old as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

?She made a quiet mental note to ask her grandmother about it later.

?Meanwhile, the officer on the holographic feed hesitated briefly before speaking again. "Sir... if you don’t mind me asking, where exactly did you acquire that specific blaster?"

?Louis saw no reason to conceal the truth. "I confiscated it from a captain of the Crimson Reckoning."

?The officer’s eyes widened in sudden realization. For a moment, she seemed unable to process the implications. "Sir... are you currently on Planet Roca?"

?Louis offered a simple nod. "I am."

?The officer straightened instantly, her posture rigid with concern. "Then the security situation—"

?"Is under control," Louis interrupted smoothly before she could spiral.

?His voice was calm, authoritative, and utterly absolute.

?"Inform my deputy of these findings immediately," Louis commanded. "Have intelligence begin quietly investigating the Arachnid connection, but ensure that no official conclusions are announced until we possess irrefutable evidence. I will not have anyone escalating this into a full-scale diplomatic crisis based on preliminary forensics."

?"Understood, Great Overseer."

?"As for the Crimson Reckoning forces on this planet..." Louis’s tone dropped an octave, laced with absolute lethality. "...I will handle them personally."

?A fervent, reverent light flickered in the officer’s eyes.

?She had served within the Dominion’s top administrative ranks long enough to understand the terrifying weight behind those words.

The Overseer was not merely a senior bureaucrat issuing commands from a safe, distant office; he was a Tier V Ascendant Lord whose direct personal intervention could reshape the outcome of entire planetary wars.

?If he had decided to personally step onto the battlefield, then the Crimson Reckoning had just unwittingly invited the wrath of one of the most formidable beings in the Astral Dominion.

?The officer delivered a sharp, immaculate salute. "I will ensure everything is executed strictly according to your instructions, Great Overseer!"

?Louis nodded once. The holographic display dissolved into specks of light.

?For a moment, silence settled over the breezy rooftop.

?Ruby looked up at him, her dark eyes curious. "Are you going to go beat up the bad guys now?"

?Louis glanced down at her. "That depends entirely on how cooperative they prove to be."

?Ruby considered his answer for a second before giving a firm, solemn nod. "I see."

?Louis stared at her in mild disbelief.

’So being a lord is the only way to shock this child?

?He decided it was better not to further that thought. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

?Instead, he turned toward the sprawling, smoke-veiled skyline, his sharp mind already calculating the next phase of the operation.

?If the Arachnids were truly pulling the strings from the shadows, the situation would become vastly more complicated than a simple anti-terrorist sweep.

He needed to uncover the Crimson Reckoning’s ultimate objective, pinpoint the exact origin of their supply lines, and prevent the local planetary government from making any foolish, panicked moves.

?He had barely begun organizing his tactical thoughts when a familiar, unmistakable voice suddenly resonated directly within his mind.

?’We have a problem.’

?Louis froze in his tracks.

?He recognized that voice instantly.

?Seraphina.

?His expression shifted dramatically as he opened his mind to establish the secure telepathic link.

?’What happened?’