The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Outer Regions)

(Stolen Vessel- Private Room- 203)

Room 203 was the captain's private suite, and no member of the crew was permitted entrance inside.

All reports had to be given from outside the doorway and the captain would stay in his bed with the lights off.

"Captain the men on the ship are beginning to get restless," a skinny man cowered in fear as he spoke to the figure hidden in the darkness.

"I followed your orders and told them that John, Henry, Morgan and Alex had all decided to leave so you gave them an escape pod, but some are starting to get suspicious."

"These men may be criminals, but they aren't idiots and soon they may realise what is going on."

The second in command spoke in a respectful tone but inwardly he could not help but curse his bad luck and misfortune.

He was an ordinary background member of the gang just a few short days ago but the commanding officers had disappeared with alarming frequency.

This had left a power vacuum, so the captain promoted him to fill the void seemingly at random.

What was common with all these disappearances was that they all occurred after heading for a meeting with the captain

Suspicions and rumors had already begun to make their way around the starship, but fear of the captain's strange powers kept the men in line.

The current second in command was now a man called Adam Gill.

Joining this crew was just supposed to be temporary until he received a better offer but who could have known that a high noble would bring a fleet to destroy the planet.

Nobles had silently acquiesced to the pirate society living on planet Calypso and none of the information groups had known about the upcoming attack.

Adam had been drinking in a local tavern when the enemy landed on the planet and he could still recall the duel between Edward the Merciless and the high noble.

Well duel would imply that there was a fight.

The noble man simply unsheathed his sword and a thin line of blood appeared on Edward's neck.

A man who had reached the void stage in cultivation and was once the ruler of an entire planet was dead within seconds.

Adam still shuddered in fear when he remembered those cold eyes that stared at the headless corpse.

There was no emotion.

No anger. No rage. No guilt. No bloodlust.

It was like the sword was simply an extension of his will.

That was the most terrifying part that caused Adam to immediately flee to the docks and board one of the starships.

Most of the starships were already occupied by crews so Adam was forced to negotiate for his safety and join a gang controlled by the son of a Blackguard captain.

It was not ideal but when the alternative was death….

You learn to deal with some sacrifices.

They had been drifting around in space for the last couple of days trying to escape from any pursuers.

So far, no other ships could be spotted on the radar.

Adam was even starting to warm up to this wretched crew of murderers, kidnappers, thieves, and rapists.

You would be hard pressed to find any resident of planet Calypso who didn't have some blood under their hands.

Ideally Adam planned on working with this crew for a couple of months and then leaving for greener pastures.

But now he was the second highest authority on ship….

"Release the slaves in the prison cells and let the men vent their desires for a few days," a low magnetic voice sounded out from the corner of the room.

"That should keep them occupied and stop this incessant chattering."

The sound of this attractive voice snapped Adam out of his thoughts instantly.

He could not help but frown slightly as he processed the orders from the captain.

"Are you sure sir?" Adam asked cautiously.

"Those slaves would sell for a higher price in good condition and some of the men onboard can be quite rough."

Tap! Tap!

Two scarlet eyes glowed in the darkness and the captain impatiently tapped his fingers against the metalloid bedframe.

"Do I need you to question my orders?" he whispered in a sultry tone.

"No sir!" Adam felt an enormous pressure hit his body and the hair on his arms rose up in fright.

It was like an enormous beast was staring at him from the shadows inside the room and he instinctively knew that one mistake would lead to his death.

The captain did not speak again so Adam realised that the conversation was over.

He bowed once and then closed the door to the room.

Standing outside in the hallway, he took a few moments to compose himself and then headed for the prison block.

The next few days would become a nightmare for the slaves onboard the vessel….

Meanwhile in the dark room, captain Kohli adjusted the bedsheets comfortably and stared at the mysterious tablet held tightly in his right palm with an adoring expression.

The once arrogant young master whose status was that of the son of a Blackguard captain had undergone quite the transformation.

His body once overweight and covered with unsightly pimples was now lean, muscular, and highly attractive.

His deep mysterious scarlet pupils could draw both men and women into a hypnotic spell.

And he now had facial features that resembled an Adonis with high cheekbones, an impressive jawline, and a thin nose.

But this outward transformation was not the main reason why he was so overjoyed.

There would always be women willing to flock to a man with high wealth or power regardless of attractiveness.

No…. that was not the reason.

It was the surge of mysterious power coursing through every cell in his body and promising him the strength to make the universe his playground.

The stone tablet had the ability to absorb the cultivation level of those it came into contact with and transfer this power to its master.

Kohli's cultivation level had shot up from the qi body stage to the qi tide stage and even the void stage was possible.

However, this was unlikely to happen in the near future as the transfer of cultivation power would only work if the victim had a higher cultivation level than the master.

It was easy to overwhelm qi body, spirit or even tide cultivators with sheer numbers and high calibre weaponry but void cultivators could easily escape most dangerous situations.

Were there side effects to this transfer of power?

Kohli could see perfectly well in the darkness and could not help but smirk as he rubbed the muscles on his arm.

He now had an aversion to bright light and the occasional odd cravings, but these could be easily handled.

This stone tablet with mysterious writings that glowed red was simply a gift from the heavens.

Given enough time, Kohli was confident that he would have overthrown Edward and then killed his father to take the throne for himself had the attack not occurred.

But it was no matter.

Having the goal to rule over planet Calypso was once seen by Kohli as the pinnacle of desire but he now knew that his petty ambitions were too small.

Why rule one planet when you could rule an empire.

Kohli grinned and continued to stare at the tablet with an almost fanatic look of worship.

The writings on the tablet begun to blur and soon different symbols replaced the original text.

"What?" Kohli gripped his head in pain as an inhuman voice echoed through his mind while repeating the same phrase.

The voice was rough and sounded like a millions souls all crying out in agony at the same time.

"You will become king."

"You will become king."

"You will become king."