Chapter 295: The Orphanage

Chapter 295: The OrphanageThe burly pirate was about to throw the children into the prepared cage when his arm was suddenly seized. He glared at the intruder, his muscles bulging as he used his superpower to make himself look like a walking mass of steel.

"Hmph."

Helion didn’t even flinch. With a casual flick of his hand, he dispersed the pirate’s superpower. The man’s muscles deflated like a punctured balloon, and the children were effortlessly snatched from his grip. In one smooth motion, Helion tossed them back into the arms of their crying parents.

The squad leader’s spine went cold. ’Damn, this guy seems like nothing more than a follower. But he’s THIS strong?’

He turned to Lyra. "What do you want, ma’am? What’s your game?"

Lyra’s eyes sparkled with an alluring intensity. He flicked her hair and gave him a teasing glance, her every movement exuding confidence and charm.

"This village is now under my protection," she said smoothly.

The squad leader’s face twitched. "That doesn’t seem to follow the rules of the game, does it?"

Before he could finish, Lyra’s gaze turned sharp and cold, and a crushing pressure descended on him. His face went pale.

"Who do you think you’re to negotiate here with me?" Lyra asked, lifting her chin with an almost regal posture. "Didn’t we say we’re going to your base? Lead the way."

With a flick of her wrist, she summoned a hover board from her Space Button.

The squad leader wiped the cold sweat from his brow, sneering inwardly. ’Bossing us around here, huh? Let’s see who’s the real boss here when you see Broken Blade.’

Lyra and her crew quickly ascended into the sky, their long hair and robes billowing like divine beings flying through the air.

Gultong gazed upwards, his neck aching from looking at them for so long. His heart raced, and in a burst of excitement, he suddenly shouted, "I want to join them!"

He moved to follow the pirates, but his father grabbed him by the back of his collar, halting him.

"Gultong, don’t do something stupid!" His father’s voice was filled with urgency. "Go to Father Kyle. Ask him to take Shella to the orphanage."

Shella, the late village chief’s granddaughter, was only five years old.

Gultong hesitated, his heart aching. "Can’t you adopt Shella?"

The adults in the village stayed silent. They couldn’t even feed their own children—how could they possibly take in another?

Gultong’s father patted him on the head, speaking gently. "At least at the orphanage, Shella will get proper care. Father Kyle of the orphanage will protect her, and she won’t be taken and sold off."

In the shadows, Mandy and the others watched, their faces revealing shock. ’So Gultong hasn’t been completely honest?’

’Who exactly is this head of the orphanage?’

Before they could dwell further on the mystery, the sound of raucous laughter echoed from the distance.

"A few measly folks think they can steal from us?" A loud voice bellowed, filled with arrogance. "If that woman wants to protect this village, let’s leave her with just an empty shell!"

A team of pirates, their arms wrapped in the signature cloth of the Broken Blades, stormed into the village.

The leader, a rotund man, spat out the end of his cigarette, his predatory gaze sweeping over the villagers. "Old ones, take them down. Young ones, bring them back as slaves. The kids—cage them!"

The villagers screamed and scattered, panic rising as they ran for their lives. But they were no match for the pirates. Without the strength to resist, the pirates swiftly took control.

Just as all hope seemed lost, a fireball suddenly hurled toward the fat pirate.

His eyes narrowed, and with a swift motion, he slapped the fireball to the ground, extinguishing it. "Who did that?" he growled, fury flashing in his eyes.

From the crowd, Gultong’s face drained of color. He straightened up, chest out, determined to act.

"...I did it!" Gultong shouted, his voice filled with defiance.

He locked eyes with his father, but before he could react, the fat pirate threw a knife.

The blade sank deep into Gultong’s father’s chest. The man fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Dad—!"

The fat pirate chuckled cruelly. "Sick of living, huh?"

Then, he grabbed the wailing Shella by the arm and pulled her toward him. "Hurry up and get to work!"

Hidden in the shadows, Mandy furrowed her brow, preparing to make her move.

But before she could react, a shadow darted faster than she could track. A hand grabbed the fat pirate’s wrist, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Another one, damn it..." The fat pirate cursed halfway, but when he saw the newcomer’s face, he immediately plastered a smile on his face. "Well, if it isn’t Father Kyle! What brings you here?"

Father Kyle took the child from his hands without a word, his face impassive. "I heard the Broken Blades have their sights set on a village. I’m here to collect the orphans."

Every time these pirate groups raided a village, people died, and Father Kyle always made his way there to take the surviving orphans.

He glanced at the pleading faces of the villagers, and his heart softened. "Can you spare them? For my sake, please let them go."

Mandy, watching from the shadows, widened her eyes in disbelief. ’How is HE here?’

The fat pirate feigned hesitation, scratching his head. "Father Kyle, it’s not that we don’t respect you. But there’s this new pirate group from outer space causing trouble. They’re stealing from our boss, and that can’t be allowed."

He subtly shifted his arm, preparing for a possible fight. "Your rule is to only take the orphans and not interfere with our business, right? How about this: we’ll take anyone over fifteen, and you can keep those under fifteen. Sound fair?"

The fat pirate knew the man before him wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. As long as things didn’t go too far, the Broken Blades wouldn’t want to waste time or energy going after him.

Father Kyle bit his lip, visibly torn, but eventually relented. "That will have to do."

The villagers, their heads pressed against the guns of the pirates, were moved to tears. "Thank you, Father Kyle," Rick and the others murmured, their voices shaking with gratitude.

Father Kyle knew, however, that he couldn’t save everyone. He had to let go of those who couldn’t be protected.

He turned his face away, knowing there was no way to save the whole village from the Broken Blades’ tyranny.

The fat pirate nodded, understanding the unspoken message, and signaled to his crew.

Just as the pirates aimed their guns, the sound of gunfire rang out, but the bullets all hit the ground, kicked up by the sudden gale of wind.

"Who’s there?" The fat pirate spun around, his eyes scanning the air.

Suddenly, a small, blonde woman stepped out from an alley, a cheerful smile on her face. She casually lowered her superpower, the wind dying down as she did so. It was Mandy.

Behind her, almost twenty of her crew followed, each one with a cold, deadly air about them.

Another young man, dressed in a sharp three-piece suit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, dropped down from the rooftop, his gaze sharp and calculating, exuding an aura of controlled elegance. That was Caleb, of course.

"Our boss said this village belongs to us now," Caleb declared coldly. "Venus’ Seashells."

The name, Venus’ Seashells, was absurd. The fat pirate muttered under his breath, clearly disgusted by it.

Father Kyle’s eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of the approaching crew. Every single one of them was at least a level-three Peculiar.

He’d been in Voidstar No. 1 for a long time, and he had never heard of a pirate group this powerful. And the young man with glasses... there was something familiar about him, though he couldn’t place it.

But right now, his priority was to get the villagers out of the pirates’ conflict. With a deep breath, he spread his arms, shielding the villagers as they retreated.

The fat pirate, now realizing the situation had shifted, was left with no choice but to address the new arrivals. "Don’t you know the rules of Voidstar No. 1?" He sneered, his hand subtly reaching behind him. "Everyone keeps to their own business. No stealing from others."

If a conflict broke out here, the military would swoop in and take advantage of the chaos.

Mandy grinned sweetly, but her eyes were deadly. "Sorry, we prefer to eat alone."

With a wave of her hand, she signaled to her crew.

In an instant, eighteen men and women moved with deadly precision, leaping toward the Broken Blades pirates.

The sound of knives cutting through the air was followed by rapid and efficient strikes. Within moments, the pirates had been incapacitated.

The fat pirate, enraged, tried to retaliate, but Mandy casually sent a wind blade slicing through the air, decapitating him with a single, effortless strike.

Father Kyle watched in stunned silence. ’These aren’t pirates... they’re military!’ His mind raced, recognizing the precise, regulated movements as military combat techniques. There was no mistaking it. This wasn’t a band of pirates—these people were soldiers.

As he discreetly observed the group, his gaze was drawn to the young man in glasses. When their eyes met, Father Kyle quickly lowered his head, unsure whether the recognition was mutual.