Chương 715: Queen Xakira.

While soaring at the edge of the Solar System, the Hornet Queen Xakira tapped her armrest in thought.

"What do you think?" The male hornet by her side spoke with a trace of doubt.

"Even if this World Tree is exceptional, I doubt she can resist our attacks for longer than 30 minutes. Your condition of her resting for 1 hour before we decide to treat, considering Princess Xalis's proposal, is a bit too harsh." The Hornet Queen agreed with him. Even then, she shook her head and insisted on it.

"This will also be a lesson for Xalis, that girl. She thinks she knows our strength because she has been out in the open for a while. Naturally, we need to teach her that things are not that simple." Another nearby male hornet commented, unsure.

"My Queen, what if the World Tree manages to destroy our shields?" Hornet Queen Xakira chuckled.

"In that case, we will instantly surrender. If she can break through the shields of a Level 180 mothership, her attacking power will not be much worse than that of a <Second Ascension> powerhouse. Someone like that is comparable to me and, being much younger, is more than worthy of following." A nearby female hornetkin suggested an idea.

"We should tell her that we are not hostile forces before we attack, right? If she is a vengeful type, she won't let us go even if we explain things later." To this, Xakira hesitated.

"If we do… she will probably not show her full strength, right? Attacking an enemy and a spar, so to speak, is not the same." The male hornetkin sitting by her side spoke softly.

"Even then, it's not worth the risk of provoking her. Would you be okay if someone came to our home planet, attacked us violently, and then stopped and smiled, saying that it was all part of a test?" Xakira paused and then chuckled.

"Alright, I was momentarily short-sighted. We will contact her when she appears."

"Your Majesty! Dimensional energies are spiking around us!"

"Huh?" Xakira cast a bewildered look over.

"We are still at the furthest planetary orbit, right? Didn't this World Tree just complete her interplanetary root network?" Another voice shouted urgently.

"Spatial control of our ships has been reduced to less than 10%. Space jumps have become impossible!"

"Your Majesty! The ternary essences in the void are stirring with 3rd-level intensity." Xakira's face turned serious.

"Did we encounter a wandering <Astraelis>? Show me the void." The ceiling and other panels around her change, projecting the outside as if they had become transparent. This was a result of combining outer sensors and screens. Once Xakira glanced outside, her face changed slightly. The void around them was visibly twisting, moments later breaking down as gigantic roots sprouted from the middle of nowhere.

These roots, as if they were piercing into their reality from a faraway dimension, pulsed with glowing blue lights, making them easily visible. Their starships, influenced by the powerful energies around them, slowed down tremendously, and with one order from Xakira, they all came to a momentary stop. A gentle yet incredibly powerful feminine voice echoed around, traveling through the very folds of reality and spreading inside all ships.

"Visitors from afar, may you identify yourselves before stepping further inside my domain? You've been traveling in my domain for a while, but I've heard no announcements from your side." Xakira was bewildered.

'Didn't Xalis say that the World Tree was most likely not older than 200 years? How is it possible for her to have spread this far out? Did she make a mistake in her reports?' However, even when she was surprised, Xakira was the Queen of a powerful species. Her bewilderment lasted for no more than a few seconds. After sorting her thoughts, a flash of interest flashed in her black compound eyes.

"Project me outside. Activate void Aether communication." The mothership's internal generators accelerated faintly, and soon, Xakira's image manifested in the void. The Hornet Queen was beautiful, her body not having many insect segments, and appearing much closer to a human than her counterparts. Nevertheless, very clear hornet segments were visible, like a tail-like hornet abdomen, powerful and large wings, antennae, and a few others.

She sat on her throne-like seat, her posture that of an innate queen that ascended not due to inheritance but by clawing her way up into her current position. Liu Shu observed this woman with interest. Even then, she didn't speak again. While Xakira had the potential of becoming an ally, it was far from being set in stone. She, naturally, would face them the same way she did the merchants initially. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"True World Tree, I am the Hornet Queen Xakira. We own 23 Solar Systems, and as an emerging group, we are slowly expanding. Today I come because one of my children has been sending back quite a few messages that, let's be fair, sound somewhat exaggerated." While she had not told anyone else, Xakira had another guess about Xalis's messages. Some that were not pleasant in the slightest, like mental manipulation or forceful hijacking of her communication devices.

Hence, her attitude toward Liu Shu was also in a "wait and see" approach. Liu Shu, clever as she was, naturally understood the implications in the few words Xakira uttered. She was not worried, though. After all, she had not done anything to Xalis. On the contrary, she had been quite forgiving, taking into account what her initial intentions were.

"I understand. You come to test that I am as worthy as what Xalis wrote in her letters. However…" Liu Shu's voice turned a notch colder.

"What gives you the status to test me? Queen Xakira, I will be direct because I despise mindgames, as they are too cumbersome. You and your people are not qualified." Xakira's lips arched, but the smile was cold. After all, Liu Shu's words were too arrogant. Something Liu Shu did on purpose. She, after all, was testing the woman's bottom line and attitude.

As a proper Queen who had led her own race to prosper in the hypercompetitive environment that was the galaxy, Xakira didn't become upset nor heated by Liu Shu's words. Instead, she answered calmly.

"Perhaps, your words are right. However, you are being too hasty to antagonize us. If that's the attitude you usually tackle diplomacy with, your future is bleak. Thankfully for you, perhaps, I am not someone with an overinflated ego and short temper." Liu Shu was positively surprised by her words. Xakira continued.

"Regardless if your words were your true feelings or your intent to test the waters, I will say one thing now." Xakira, showing her queenly attitude, spoke while looking at the roots coldly.

"You will have to earn your right to further continue having an audience with this Queen by showing your strength!" Then, she cut off the holograms, and the fleet of 12 ships began revving up their engines and energy reservoirs. Shields appeared around each of the ships, clearly ready for combat. Liu Shu heard her words and felt satisfied with the exchange. Xakira showed that while she was not someone who acted on impulse, she would not let anyone trample on her dignity.

That kind of attitude was just right for someone in her position. More so when Xakira was unaware of Liu Shu's strength.

'She is similar to Mommy Ignatia, hehe. I like her! Hm~, with her attitude, if I manage to breach the shields of one ship, she will probably understand that I have "destroyed" it and make it stop. Alright, let's start a proper fight then.' Back in Ceperet, Liu Shu spoke softly.

"Warlya, prepare yourself. You will have your debut fight in a moment. I will attack first for a while before allowing you to summon your projection." Warlya's energy surged, her body getting ready for combat.

"Whenever you want, Liu Shu."

'Let's summarize. 1 <Mothership>, 7 <Warships>, 4 <Scout Ships>.' The motherships were equivalent to the World-Types of the Nexus, while the Warships were like the Moon-Types. Liu Shu noted that the levels of these ships were quite a bit higher, though.

'This doesn't make the Nexus weaker. It's just what someone on Altherion's level can move.' Liu Shu was very clear that Altherion's "fleet" was probably nothing much in the grand scheme of a superpower like the Nexus. Hence, she never became arrogant. As she was thinking, the main cannons of all 12 ships lit up and shot out beams. These beams had incredibly destructive qualities.

'If they hit a planet with no True World Tree to strengthen it, these beams would probably crumble it down.' Liu Shu didn't bother dodging; her roots were too numerous to avoid attacks. So, the twelve beams impacted heavily onto her. Flashes of light lit up the previously dark cosmos. Xakira leaned her face on her fist, her compound eyes ready to observe how Liu Shu's roots had been vaporized or broken down. However, when the light scattered, she straightened up, a touch of seriousness flashing in her eyes.

12 massively thick roots had intercepted the beams, and while the one blocking the <Mothership>'s beam had been destroyed, the others were still whole, only slightly charred. Liu Shu looked at her destroyed root with a pondering expression.

'As expected, my roots are still shy of reaching world-level defense. Even with all my damage reduction effects, it was too much to block the Mothership. Even then, she felt that her main body would be able to tank it.

'Since they've attacked, it is time for a counterattack. Let's get rid of all the Scout-Type squishy ships.'

"<Eternity Strand + Elemental Lord Willow Catastrophe…"

"... True Sun>." Her Aether Mana surged endlessly, manifesting together with her <Eternal> energy. Light manifested around the four ships with an intensity unrivaled by anything Liu Shu had done before! Xakira used her hand to block the flashes of light.

"Report."

"It is bad. Shield integrity of all four scout ships is falling at a rate of 10% per second… They are gone." Then, the four suns disappeared, leaving only a slightly charred surface of each of the scout ships. Everyone in Xakira's control room froze for a second. The exchange, which lasted just that, ten seconds, happened so quickly that they couldn't react before the ship's shields were gone. Xakira asked, trying to make sure she didn't misunderstand anything.

"Did the skill the World Tree summoned dispel by itself or…"

"We noticed the flow of energy being cut before it disappeared. The World Tree most likely forcefully stopped the skill once she saw the shields dissipating." Hearing the grave tone of the person reporting, everyone took a deep breath.

"Monstrous destructive power."

"Absurd…"

"Is she really not a <Second Ascension> World Tree?" Xakira breathed out and said.

"Tell the four scout ships to retreat to the side of the battlefield and take it as if they have been destroyed. Combat personnel, we are fighting a proper True World Tree. If anyone previously thought we would be able to win easily, throw out that notion immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"