"Sending fleets to my empire?" he laughed before adding, "send two fleets to crush this futile resistance, and keep them stationed here for any future problems," he said before adding, "and let's repay the debt, spread the third fleet to many smaller ones and let them go to aid the rebellion started by Dora's men."
His words were met with a big smile of Islinda. "Dora is going to love this," she laughed while adding, "and I like it too."
"We should be kind and generous, not repaying the kindness is a sin, right?" he laughed before adding, 'spread the words and go to resume your hard work."
He paused before adding, "keep me posted all the time regarding the internal turmoil, and keep yourself aware of any new ones."
"Yes, I understand," she left the cruiser while knowing that his fears and doubts were on the spot. The enemy wouldn't settle at just one try, they would keep attacking them until they found a crack and rapidly expanded it.
"At least it's a war of attrition now; the shortest breath one would lose the war," she laughed as she enjoyed this way of fighting.
Just as James expected, once his fleets crushed the futile rebellion, more started to appear around his vast territory. What caused more damage among the rest were the ones inside the newly conquered regions, where many answered to the rebellious calling, and the fight against them was so fierce.
Especially those who came from the base of the seventh force he destroyed.
They held great grudges and hatred towards him.
"Reports my emperor," a human assistant came inside the main deck running, "there is a rebellious move in the capital."
These words made even James more furious than ever. "Where?" he demanded in a tone that made everyone in the room quite nervous.
"Near the palace, and the whereabouts of the empress isn't clear yet."
"Set course to the capital," James ordered.
"Should we move the entire fleet?" one droid asked and this question was naturally answered by his approval, yet something told him this was all a decoy.
"This is… a distraction?" he was surprised, yet since developing his powers and raising them, he started to develop a strange wisdom and a hunch.
"Make them fake coming with us yet return here and keep an eye for this area," he said before returning to his seat glaning at the open space outside his deck. "What are you aiming for?" he muttered before adding, "send a cruiser back to bring Islinda here, and let us stay," he decided.
"But the rebellious move," the human assistant seemed quite daring and James just realized this right now. "Who are you?" he took out his knife as he pointed it towards her, "you aren't part of here and your words have some sort of magic to it. Who are you?"
"Interesting," suddenly the assistant laughed, "what gave me away?" she asked without any care about the knife he held in his hand.
'She is dangerous,' the sound of his knife rang in his head, confirming his earlier guess.
"Many things," he simply replied.
"Meaning you don't have a clue about one thing in particular.. a hunch? That's amazing! A magus like yourself developing such a hunch in early levels… amazing!"
"Who are you?" he asked while taking out his rod and bow.
"Using full force? Yet what your hunch tells?" she laughed before adding in a serious tone, "you can't touch me, right?"
His face changed as he never met someone like her. Just now he realized something; everyone but him was stunned in place, frozen motionless without feeling anything.
"Time witch?" he muttered.
"It's not time which you fool, it's a place magus! I can freeze any place and affect anyone inside to even believe me," she laughed, before adding, "and just now one hasn't fallen under my spell, what should I do now?"
She paused while adding after a long heavy moment of silence, "Kill you? Or release you?"
"I'm not that easy to fall!" he clenched the handle of the knife while the rod was flying a few inches away defending him.
"I know, but is it of your best interest to be enemies with us?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm the one who once was like you," her answer was shocking, "and I succeeded in my mission."
"Mission? Like me?" James mumbled before adding, "you mean you were also a light and darkness controller?"
"Controller? Hahaha, that's funny," she laughed before adding, "it's called magus you dummy, and it's not a light and darkness controller, it's the natural order controller."
"Natural order?"
"Sure, things aren't born white and dark, they contain both! You and I are like many others, have special gifts and special abilities," she paused before adding, "and it's up to you now to decide where this gift and ability will serve in the future."
"I care about my present!"
"Lies," she laughed, "everyone cares about their future most!"
"Well, I care right now about my present," he said before adding, "what power do you belong to? Empire? Grand sector? Shrine?"
"What? Hahaha, do you think I serve one of those lowly powers? C'mon, I've just said I'm like you, or was a long time ago, so I'm considered your senior now. Can't you tell from where I'm?" she laughed while saying these words in an amusing way.
"From outside this universe?" he cautiously said.
"Bingo, you guessed it right," she laughed before adding, "I think you have a great chance to win this challenge. By the way, not being special means you will win. Many of us already lost their lives in their universes," she said, in a warning tone.
"So?" he muttered.
"So you need to work harder and not succumb to your pointless wins here in this nowhere in the universe," she paused before adding, "your main target should be the grand universe."
"Conquer it?"
"Control it!" she corrected, "you must be the absolute emperor above all."
He went to silence for a moment as he liked this vision of hers. "What's in it for you?" he asked.
"As I told you just now, you need to serve someone, some power. I represent a great magus academy, are you interested in joining it?"
"Is it good or bad?" he asked.
"There is no such a term out there," she laughed, "but to make it easier for you to understand, we are the good guys."
"Good," he smiled before adding, "if I won this tournament, I would be the good guy then and join you."
"Perfect," she laughed and clasped her hands in amusement, "I like you, so I will give you hints of the future fights," she added before seriously saying, "your challenge will be to control the bigger part and win, do you get it?"
The next moment she vanished like the way she appeared here. "Emperor should we leave now?" the droid spoke continuing what he was saying before he was frozen.
"Do you feel sick?" James suddenly asked with gazed focused upon the droid, startling him.
"M- Me? No, I'm fine."
"Do you feel anything wrong in your circuits?"
"No, everything is fine," the droid said, before asking, "is something wrong my emperor?"
"No," James returned to his seat and stored his artifacts, "everything is fine," he added. "cancel my orders and get Islinda to me," he ordered before delving deeply inside his thoughts.
"The good guys, huh?" he muttered before laughing.
"I can still hear you, kid!"
The sound of that female rang in his mind startling him. He hurriedly glanced around yet saw nothing. "Are you here?" he shouted, startling everyone else.
"Hahaha, I'm in another plane, and don't act like this or else your men will think you are crazy!"
"I'm already considering me one," he laughed while returning to his seat again. "Can you go away?"
"Leave you alone?" she laughed, "c'mon, you are my future disciple and so I have to watch you clearly and closely all the time."
"You aren't that older than me!" he retorted back.
"Appearances might deceive you, I'm much older than you think," she laughed before adding, "don't worry, I won't peep on you and your women, hehehe, despite how much I love watching these lemon scenes."
"C'mon, be serious for a moment!"
The droids and everyone here exchanged silent glances before hurrying to send the word to Islinda. They thought their emperor was sick, and they asked her to hurry back and see him.
She came in a hurry to see him fine. "What's wrong?" she asked, while directing her question not to James but to everyone else.
"Nothing," he shrugged but the droid next to him pointed to the screen where she raised her own and saw the recording of what happened.
She saw him speaking to no one, cursing and shouting, and even laughing. Her heart ached the moment she saw this, yet she didn't show anything on her face. "Are you alright?" she said before closing the recording in a hurry.
"I'm great, don't worry about me," he replied as he pointed to her screen, "that has some good reason."
"Which is?" she asked as she went to sit on his lap, used to this after so many intimate sessions between the two.