First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess-Chapter 434: Strongest Mercenary

They aimed their weapons at Reva’s chest and head.

"Don’t," Viola snapped, already shifting her stance.

The Aurelian raised one hand, palm open, and the guards froze in place. "Stand down," he said calmly. "Not her."

The weapons lowered, though not fully. The message was clear.

His gaze returned to Lyra. "You don’t remember me," he said, almost gently. "That’s expected. You were very young.., merely three months old. And things were... complicated."

The words landed awkwardly, not dramatic, not loud, just wrong in a way Lyra couldn’t explain. Reva reacted before Lyra could process it fully, stepping forward with her shoulders squared and her attention fixed on the man.

"My name is Kylus," he said. "And I’m not here for you."

His attention returned to Lyra. "When I heard there was a Lykaios on Jupiter, I stopped what I was doing. I was on a hunt. Important work. I walked away from it because this mattered more."

He exhaled slowly. "I’m glad I did. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have believed it myself."

Lyra clenched her jaw. "What do you want from me?"

"I don’t want anything," Kylus replied. "I’m here to take you with me."

Viola stepped forward immediately, anger sharp in her voice. "You don’t get to decide that. Get the fuck away from her."

Kylus finally turned his head toward Viola, his expression unchanged. "If I wanted her acquaintances involved," he said calmly, "you wouldn’t be standing here to argue."

That snapped something in Lyra.

"I don’t know you," she said, louder now. "I’m not going anywhere with you. Leave."

She turned and motioned for the others to move, already taking a step away. They barely had time to shift before Kylus’ men spread out, closing the space around them without rushing or shouting, cutting off every path with quiet efficiency.

Lyra spun back toward him. "I said no."

Kylus met her stare evenly. "I wasn’t asking," he said. "And I wasn’t requesting permission."

Reva’s hand tightened at her side. Requiem moved closer to Iria without thinking, placing himself between her and the guards. Viola’s expression hardened as she reassessed the situation.

"On this planet," Kylus continued, "my word is law. I don’t negotiate it."

His eyes stayed on Lyra as he finished speaking. "You’re coming with me."

The market remained frozen around them, and it was clear to everyone present that this had crossed the point of conversation and entered something far more dangerous.

Kylus’ men tightened the circle slowly, boots shifting against the ground as they closed the space around them. Weapons stayed lowered, but hands were already settled into familiar positions, fingers close enough to triggers that the difference barely mattered. The market hadn’t erupted yet, but the tension was spreading. Vendors stopped calling out. Conversations dropped. People began edging away without fully understanding why.

Reva shifted forward instinctively, her body angling just enough to shield Lyra. Two guards reacted immediately, stepping in with muzzles lifting, the movement sharp and synchronized.

Viola moved before anyone committed.

She reached into her coat and crushed a flat, coin-sized device between her fingers. The thing let out a harsh electronic whine that cut straight through the air, and the space around them buckled. Every targeting system in a ten-meter radius glitched at the same time. Visual feeds smeared. Audio channels dumped static into implants and comms. A localized gravity surge slammed downward, throwing balance off just enough to matter.

Reva grabbed Lyra’s wrist and moved immediately. Requiem pulled Iria in close and followed, keeping his body between her and the guards. Viola stayed back long enough to trigger a compact flash emitter directly toward the security line, then turned and ran after them.

That was when the market finally broke.

People scattered in every direction, stalls tipping over, containers spilling, drones rising to capture whatever they could. The chaos swallowed the escape route just long enough to give them cover.

Kylus’ men recovered fast. Too fast. Several of them were already moving to cut off exits when Kylus lifted his hand again.

"Stop."

They halted instantly.

One of them turned toward him. "We can still catch them."

Kylus watched the crowd instead, eyes tracking the direction Lyra had disappeared into. "Not here."

"They won’t get far," another insisted. "We can—"

"Not in public," Kylus repeated. "Not while she’s visible."

His gaze shifted back to the market, to the gathering attention, to the drones already hovering higher, recording everything. "They can’t hide her as long as she moves through the city. Let them run."

His men fell silent.

"We move to the next phase," Kylus continued. "Prepare quietly. I don’t want noise until I decide where it lands."

They dispersed without another word.

By the time Viola and the others reached the place they were staying, adrenaline was still buzzing through Lyra’s veins. Doors closed. Locks engaged. Only then did Reva turn on her.

"Who was that?" Reva demanded. "Why was he trying to take you?"

"That was Kylus," he said, voice low. "The strongest mercenary operating on Jupiter. Maybe beyond it."

Everyone looked at him.

"I worked as a gun-for-hire once," Requiem continued. "Long before any of this. There was a joint operation, multiple mercenary guilds, contracts stacked so high no one asked questions. Kylus was brought in as insurance."

He paused, choosing his words. "The target was a migrating swarm of Varkuun-class void beasts. Planet-eaters. Vacuum-adapted. They strip asteroid belts bare and move on. We were supposed to thin them out."

Requiem’s jaw tightened. "Kylus went in alone. He didn’t thin them out. He erased them. Over a hundred thousand of them. No fleet support. No fallback. Just him."

Silence followed that.

"He’s not bluffing," Requiem finished. "And if he says he wants Lyra, it’s because he believes he has the right to take her."

Lyra swallowed hard.

Reva clenched her fists. "Then he picked the wrong target."

"Why is he after you, though?" Viola turned to Lyra, who was in a confused state.

Requiem sensed something was off. "Are you sure you don’t know him?"

"I... don’t know..." Lyra muttered.