The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Planet Eleron)

(Zrudread University- Principal's Office)

"Sir! We have just received an urgent distress call from Instructor Barrett!" a youthful voice rang out from a communicator on the desk.

Principal Malik stirred in his chair and his brows furrowed in confusion. 

The elderly Mendolesa man was the current head of Zrudread University and oversaw the major and minor incidents that occurred.

He had quite the unique appearance when compared to others of his race. His fur was a soft white colour that matched his scarlet red eyes.

Mendolesa males typically had darker fur, shorter tails and slightly bulkier bodies but the principal had a lean physique.

He pressed a button on the communicator and read the report sent by Instructor Barrett about the current situation.

Principal Malik scowled fiercely as he saw the details in the report. 

An unknown enemy fleet of fighter class space crafts, a wormhole, missing students and destroyer class vessels…

What the hell had happened? 

Instructor Barrett was supposed to take his students to a nearby asteroid field for a light training exercise.

There weren't supposed to be any unexpected issues since that region of space was relatively quiet and had no habitable planets nearby.

But now was not the time to ponder such questions. 

Although Zrudread University encouraged their students to gain real life combat experience, they had the responsibility to protect them during school sanctioned events.

Of course, the exception to this was students who were in the assassin major.

Principal Malik pursed his lips together and softly blew to create a piercing whistle that echoed through the office.

Two heavily cloaked figures stepped out of the void with space rippling slightly around their bodies.

Their genders, race and even appearances were completely hidden. 

"Rescue the students and neutralise any threats in the area," Principal Malik hoarsely growled at the two mysterious figures.

The one on the left nodded in acknowledgment and then they both disappeared as if nothing had just happened.

Principal Malik pressed his furry paw against the communicator and sent out a message to the fleet commander stationed near the docks.

[Sent out the alpha, gamma and zeta squad to this region in space.]

This was not just an opportunity to rescue the students but also to display the might of Zrudread University to warn the pirates in the region.

Every so often, one needed to show a display of force in order to strike fear in the hearts of those ruthless bastards.

The fleet of starships should arrive in around three hours but the cultivators that he had dispatched should get there much faster.

One of them was mage who specialised in spatial magic while the other was a god stage cultivator who studied the blade.

Principal Malik was confident that any threat in the area would be immediately neutralised upon their arrival.

He could only pray that the students would be able to survive before help arrived. The loss of any potential mech controller would be devastating.

The elderly Mendolesa man let out a heavy sigh and then turned his attention back to the latest reports on his desk.

A competition between the four major universities was planned to be held during the summer vacation.

The top one hundred brightest students of each year would be selected to represent their respective university.

Principal Malik had already finalised the list for the second, third and fourth year students and was just waiting for the battle ranking exam for the first years to start.

He did have a few profiles on his desk showing the faces of certain students who stood the best chance of qualifying to represent the college.

One profile in particular stood out… Astrid Lockhart.

A Mendolesa who studied the path of magic and was personally trained by Archmage Hollystorm who was one of the strongest mages in the Earth Federation.

Principal Malik bared his fangs as a twisted smile flashed across his face. He looked forward to seeing her performance in the upcoming battle ranking exam.

And of course, there were other names as well that he would keep a close eye on.

Like the young daughter of Duke Peterlor…

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(Forest Lord Kingdom Park)

Sophie staggered slightly as her vision turned dark. She fell to the ground with a heavy thud and banged her head against a nearby rock.

Moon hurriedly flew over and landed on her body. His tail swayed back and forth frantically as he nuzzled Sophie's face with his furry cheek.

Squeak! Squeak!

(Mommy! Are you okay?!)

"Yeah… I'm alright baby," Sophie weakly replied as she tried her best to get up from the ground and sit up.

What was going on?

She was doing some light training with Moon since the combat beast exam was tomorrow when a sudden weakness struck her body.

It was unlike anything that Sophie had ever felt before. 

Someone or something was sucking the qi out of her dantian, and it was going to a mysterious place.

Sophie tried to stop the qi from escaping her body, but it was like her dantian had been ruptured since no matter what she did…

She could not stop the loss.

The hybrid girl reached into her storage bag and pulled out a syringe filled with a greenish-yellow liquid.

Without hesitation, Sophie jabbed the needle inside her leg and pushed down to force the liquid inside her body.

She had to use extra force since her flesh was much stronger now that she was a cultivator in the qi tide stage.

Sophie sighed in relief as she felt a surge of energy. 

This was a rare substance that acted as an adrenaline substitute.

It was not perfect, but it would at least allow her to return to the apartment and rest without collapsing on the way.

"Moon! Let's go back sweetie!" Sophie called out to her naughty frostwing bat. 

Moon stopped teasing the little furry creatures scurrying around the ground and flew over.

He carefully landed on Sophie's shoulders with much gentler movements than usual. Clearly, he was still worried about his mommy's health.

Sophie smiled warmly and reached into her pocket to pull out a few small treats for Moon to enjoy.

Squeak! Squeak!

Moon flapped his wings happily and leaned forward to grab the sugary snacks from out of Sophie's hand.

The hybrid girl started walking towards the direction of the elite student housing complex when a sudden image flashed across her mind.

It was the perspective of an unknown individual inside an enormous mech but somehow Sophie instinctively knew that it was Cleo.

The pulling force inside her dantian increased rapidly and Sophie felt more of her qi being sucked away.

Wait a minute…

Sophie closed her eyes and focused on the connection between herself and Cleo. 

She did not notice at the time, but a faint pinkish mist began to spread from the corner of both of her eyes as the mark on her chest glowed.

Cleo's memories flowed into her mind and Sophie's expression changed when she saw what was happening.

Her girlfriend was in danger!