Chapter 414: Energy Converter

Up in Box 9, Darius was sweating profusely, his eyes bulging as he stared down at the burnt skeleton on the arena floor.

Earlier, he had watched Polly defeat Raze. He had seen her humiliate the SS-rank Pioneer without even breaking a sweat.

At the time, he had assumed she was simply a gifted fighter with an unusual ability. Now he understood how wrong he had been.

Raze hadn’t been unlucky. He had been hopelessly outmatched.

Darius had built his reputation across several worlds. His crew feared him, his enemies avoided him, and his name carried weight throughout the pirate routes.

But all of that meant nothing against a creature like Polly.

If he fought her himself, he would lose. He knew it.

His reputation wouldn’t save him. His crew wouldn’t save him. Even his ship’s weapons will not save him.

He had seen enough to understand that.

Beside him, his attendant approached cautiously.

"Captain... the crew is prepared and waiting for your order. Shall we launch the strike on the girl when she leaves?"

Darius turned to his attendant, his face pale. "Are you insane?!" he roared in a hushed whisper. "Did you not just see what she did down there?! That girl could wipe out my entire fleet with those eyes! What exactly do you expect us to do against her?"

The attendant took a step back, trembling. "My apologies, Captain. I only—"

"Call the strike off," Darius cut in, gritting his teeth. "Tell the crew to stand down. Nobody touches the girl. Nobody follows her. Nobody even looks at her the wrong way."

"U-Understood, Captain!" the attendant bowed frantically and rushed out.

Darius slowly sank into his seat. Through the glass, he watched as Polly and Astrid left the amphitheater.

He clenched his fist tightly.

The Celestial Starlight Lotus was a valuable artifact. He had wanted it, and he had been prepared to use his influence to obtain it.

But it wasn’t worth getting roasted alive for.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, silently praying to whatever gods existed that he would never cross paths with Polly again.

........

Outside the Auction building,

Polly and Astrid walked side-by-side down the streets of Zeta.

Polly carried the case containing the Lotus as though she had just returned from a pleasant shopping trip.

Astrid was practically marching, her face red as she scolded Polly relentlessy.

"I cannot believe you!" she yelled, throwing her hands in the air. "You raised your blindfold, after promising me you wouldn’t!"

Polly smiled wryly, rubbing the back of her head.

"I’m sorry, Astrid. I know I broke my promise. But I’ll make it up to you!"

"That’s what you always say!" Astrid snapped. "You’ll make a promise, break it, then tell me you’ll make up for it!"

"I really mean it this time."

"That’s what you said last time!"

Polly looked away sheepishly, unable to say anything.

Astrid sighed, rubbing her temple n frustration. "You know what? I’m telling Dad."

Polly froze in her tracks. "Wait, what?! You can’t do that! If you tell Dad, he’ll get worried and won’t let me leave the Haven for the rest of the year!"

"Well, you should have thought about that before nearly burning me and everyone else in that hall alive!"

"Come on! I said I was sorry!" Polly pleaded desperately. "Besides, I had to do what I did. Those people were gonna come after us. They saw us as easy targets because we’re not backed by a syndicate or a powerful organization."

She chuckled darkly, a mischievous smirk spreading across her lips.

"I needed every single person in that building to understand that coming after us would be a mistake. And thanks to what I did, they’re all terrified of me now. No one is going to try and steal the lotus. Not unless they have a death wish."

Astrid crossed her arms, contemplating Polly’s words for a long moment. She let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. I won’t tell Dad."

Polly sighed in relief. "Thank—"

"But I’m telling Mum."

Polly’s smile vanished.

"What?! No! You can’t!"

Astrid smirked. "I can. And I will."

"But Mum’s even worse than dad! She’ll ground me for life!"

"Then perhaps you’ll finally learn to keep a promise."

Polly grabbed Astrid’s arm. "Come on, Astrid! I’m your little sister!"

"Little sisters don’t nearly burn their big sisters alive," Astrid scoffed.

Polly let out a long groan. Then she shrugged.

"You know what? Fine. Tell them. I don’t care."

Astrid snickered, not buying it for a second. "If you’re trying to use that reverse psychology trick you use on Dad, it’s not going to work on me."

"Agh, come on!" Polly whined. "I can’t be grounded, Astrid! I need my freedom!"

She held up the case with the Lotus inside and added:

"Especially now that we finally have this."

Astrid’s expression softened as she looked at the flower.

For a moment, both sisters fell quiet.

"Right... we got the Lotus," Astrid murmured quietly.

She turned toward Polly.

"Now what?"

Polly took a deep breath, her voice turning serious. "Now, we just need to find a way to cross between realms. Once we do that, we can gather the other legacy holders and build a celestial army powerful enough to stop Keraunos."

She clenched her fist tightly.

"I just hope we have enough time before Ragnarok begins."

Astrid wrapped her arm around Polly’s shoulders, pulling her close as they walked. "Don’t worry, Polly. Everything will work out fine. The universe herself is on our side. The bad guys don’t stand a chance. We’re going to win this war."

Polly smiled softly, nodding her head. "Yeah. We will."

Then her smile faded, her expression turning sharp.

"I’ll make sure of it."

...

Back inside the amphitheater,

The arena had been repaired. The cracks left behind by Polly’s devastating punch had vanished, the corpses had been cleared, and the last traces of the previous battle had disappeared. The platform looked as pristine as it had at the beginning of the event.

The crowd was still recovering from the traumatizing display of power they had just witnessed. Some were still wiping sweat from their faces, while others sat rigidly in their seats, trying to convince themselves that what they had seen Polly do was real.

The host stepped onto the podium, clearing his throat to address the audience.

"Okay! The last match was quite... spectacular," he said nervously. "Let us proceed to the next!"

The large holographic screen above the arena a flickered to life, displaying a deep red, translucent orb pulsing with a crimson light.

[ARTIFACT 019 — ENERGY CONVERTER

Classification: Rare

Estimated Market Value: 1,500,000 Credits.]

Jayden’s eyes widened as he stared at the holographic display.

Wait. Don’t I have something like this?

A sudden wave of nostalgia and realization washed over him.

Resting deep within his inventory was an exact copy of that very orb—a gift given to him by Penelope on their very first date.

He remembered that night vividly. The confrontation with the arrogant rich man who had interrupted their meal, the fight with his men, and Penelope’s smirk as she handed him the orb after stealing it from the man.

He also recalled Penelope admitting that she had stolen the orb just to force him into a fight and see how powerful he was.

And according to her, the orb was capable of absorbing different forms of energy and converting them into refined energy compatible with its user. When fully charged, it could be crushed to release the stored energy, temporarily multiplying the user’s power tenfold.

That night, Jayden had stored the orb in his inventory, where it had remained ever since.

He had been so occupied with training, hunting beasts, dealing with the EVA, and eliminating Black Cobra’s Pioneers that he had completely forgotten he had such a valuable item.

Beside him, Kyle nudged his shoulder, his voice snapping Jayden back to the present.

"This is it, kid. The item we came for."

Jayden looked at the orb again.

Right.

It was finally his turn.

He hadn’t travelled across galaxies just to admire the scenery of the planet or watch other people fight. He was here because Big T had offered him information on the remaining Pioneers in exchange for winning an artifact at the Grand Exchange.

And this was the one he had been sent to obtain.

"Finally," he muttered.

The host spread his arms

"The Energy Converter is an excellent artifact to have for anyone seeking an advantage in combat!"

He paused, allowing the audience to take in the display.

"Do we have any interested bidders?"

Kyle raised his identification tag without hesitation.

Jayden glanced at him briefly before looking back at the arena.

Another tag rose from elsewhere in the amphitheater.

Then a third.

And a fourth.

There were four bidders in total.

The host looked toward the holographic screen as their identification numbers appeared above the platform.

"Oh! It seems we have four interested parties!" he announced. "Participants 014, 027, 047, and 066! Please present your fighters!"

The audience stirred with renewed interest.

Four bidders meant four fighters, and after the previous match, the crowd was eager to see whether anyone else would produce a spectacle that would send chills down their spines.

Jayden stood up from his seat, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck.

Kyle looked up at him. "Good luck, kid. Try not to die."

"I don’t intend to," Jayden murmured.

He stepped into the aisle and began walking toward the arena.

He had been preparing for this moment since the beginning of the event.

He had watched the matches. Studied the fighters. Observed the bidders.

He understood the rules. He understood the stakes. He understood the game the bidders played.

And he knew exactly how to play.