The Spider Queen

(Unova Syndicate -Frontier Region)

(Oreciuam Prime- The Sun's Glory Starship)

The heavy scent of blood still lingered in the air. Finch expressionlessly gazed at the two dead corpses that were thrown haphazardly on the floor.

Despite his years of combat experience, he could not help but tremble slightly after witnessing Sophie coldly stabbing her bladed appendages into the hearts of the starship's pilots.

There was not even a hint of hesitation in her actions.

The sheer amount of bloodlust and killing intent that surrounded the hybrid girl's body resembled a demon crawling out of hell.

It was impossible to tell if the prisoners had expected this betrayal but at least they did not have to suffer…

Sophie's quick strikes ended their lives within an instant.

The noble heiress sat back down on the captain's chair with tiny red flecks of blood still covering the sharp tips of her bladed appendages.

"Send a message to the leader of the rescue operation and inform him that the starship's defenses are down and we are standing by," Sophie ordered coldly.

"Yes," Finch responded swiftly. The Servie scout pressed a series of buttons on his wrist communicator and sent out a message to the waiting squad.

He stealthily took a picture of the scene inside the starship and updated the information about Sophie's suspected level of combat ability.

"Um… where are your copies?" Finch asked curiously. He looked around the room but could only see Lily standing quietly in the corner.

The eight-year-old girl seemed numb to the violence that had just occurred and was playing with a small metalloid orb.

Clearly she was suffering from some form of post traumatic stress disorder. Finch's many years of experience as a scout allowed him to observe certain details and make deductions quickly.

"My technique only allows me to create copies that last for a limited time," Sophie explained with a smile.

"Can I let you in on a little secret?"

The hybrid girl bared her fangs and moved in closer until her face was mere inches away from the terrified Servie.

"In my opinion without that flaw… the copies would be vastly superior to me," Sophie chuckled darkly.

She was about to add some more words to her speech but the warning glance hidden in Lily's eyes made her swallow back what she wanted to say.

"I see…" Finch muttered softly. It was common knowledge that virtually all cultivation techniques that created clones were all flawed in some way.

It did make sense that Sophie's clones had already expired and hence that was the reason why none could be seen on the command deck.

Still even if there were some hidden, Finch was confident that the ambush team would be able to deal with them.

Besides, Sophie possessed a fatal weakness that they could exploit during the attack. He had observed over the last few days just how much the hybrid girl cared about Lily.

Taking her hostage could be a viable method to prevent Sophie from using her more ruthless techniques during the upcoming fight.

Finch zipped away to the corner and continued to write up a report on his wrist communicator to send to the squad leader.

Two identical smirks briefly flashed across the faces of both Sophie and Lily for just a split second before vanishing immediately.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The loud sounds of far away explosions could be heard coming from outside since the fighting had only intensified since the Imperial Army's siege began.

Their starship was currently hidden behind a small exo-planet on the edge of the battlefield while waiting for the rescue team to arrive.

Lily fiddled with the small orb-shaped device in her palm while Sophie leaned back against the captain's chair and closed her eyes.

So far the plan was proceeding as expected. Finch was suspicious but his suspicions were directed towards the possibility that she had kept some copies hidden from him.

He would never expect that the original was no longer onboard the vessel with him. How could a lost noble heiress abandon her only hope to return home?

Although original wasn't a word that Sophie's clone liked to use since technically they were all the same person.

"They are here!" a loud shout of excitement snapped Sophie out of her daze. She opened her eyes to see three stealth spacecrafts decloak right in front of their spaceship.

The symbol of the Imperial Army was not present on any of the vessels which was an immediate red flag.

These space vessels had long sleek designs and were outfitted with the latest stealth and anti-tracking technology available.

Boom!

A thin laser shot out of the leading vessel and pierced the inner hull of their starship. Alarms began to blare out as the starship's life support systems started to fail.

A red light was then projected from a device attached to the bottom of another vessel which scanned the entire length of Sophie's starship.

Sophie and Lily exchanged knowing looks before plastering expressions of tentative excitement and hope on their faces.

Finch's translucent wings flapped lazily up and down as the Servie zipped around the room in excitement.

It was finally time!

Sophie could feel the red light pass through her body and leave a tingling feeling. She smiled as the tips of her fingers slowly began to disintegrate.

This was a feeling that she had not felt in a very long time. Teleportation was truly the most… nauseating experience.

It only took a few seconds for her entire body to disappear along with the bodies of both Finch and Lily.

(Two Minutes Later..)

Sophie dropped to the ground and vomited what little remained in her stomach. She got up from the ground and unsteadily swayed back and forth.

Teleportation was the fucking worst.

Lily was not faring any better and a small puddle of puke lay in front of the little girl's feet.

The only person who seemed unaffected was Finch who was currently covering his nose in order to avoid the unpleasant smell.

Sophie took a few deep breaths and then focused her attention on the nearby surrounding area to look for any immediate threats.

They were inside a completely empty room with white walls and floors.

There was a metalloid door at the end of this strange place so Sophie picked up Lily in her arms and made her way to the exit.

Finch followed them but at a much slower pace than usual which Sophie pretended not to notice.

The hybrid girl reached the metalloid door which swung open automatically to reveal an empty corridor.

This was all rather strange.

"Where is everyone?" Sophie asked in confusion as she stepped forward. She turned around and looked at Finch who shrugged his tiny shoulders.

"Big sister maybe we should look around for…. LOOK OUT!" Lily started to speak but then hurriedly cried out a warning.

Sophie ducked instantly and narrowly avoided a sharp blade that passed mere inches away from her face.

Numerous doors opened along the corridor and a horde of humanoid soldiers dressed in unmarked armour poured out of the rooms.

Sophie's expression collapsed and in the eyes of Finch he saw the hybrid girl's look turn from hope to despair.

She could have never imagined that her father's enemies had long infiltrated the Imperial Army and organised this ambush.

"Finch… did you know?" Sophie asked with a quiver in her voice. Finch smiled mockingly and chose not to reply.

He flew away to the back of the empty room and waited patiently for the fighting to begin.

The metalloid door that led to the mysterious white room slammed shut to prevent Sophie from returning to safety.

There were cameras installed throughout this space vessel and the footage would be published on the virtual net after editing.

It was the perfect plan.

Sophie's golden eyes flashed crimson and an immense spiritual pressure appeared that instantly crushed the bodies of the nearest soldiers.

Lily buried her face into Sophie's chest so that no one would see that her eyes also briefly flashed a crimson colour.

The plasma rifles held in the arms of the surviving soldiers began to glow ominously. It was a terrifying sign of what was to come.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Round after round of heavy plasma fire was shot towards Sophie and Lily's direction.

Using her enhanced speed and reflexes, Sophie managed to duck and weave through the barrage and emerge relatively unscathed.

Despite her success, Sophie did not feel overconfident since she knew that these faceless soldiers were merely cannon fodder.

The vision that was obtained using her foresight ability clearly showed a cultivator in the void stage lurking in the shadows.

Perhaps he would not make a move until it was clear that these soldiers could not deal with her.

Sophie frowned slightly and circulated her qi in a familiar pattern in order to activate her movement speed technique.

Cloud Treading Dragon!

Sophie's figure blurred and then vanished from the spot. She reappeared in the middle of the faceless army with a bloodthirsty grin on her face.

Duke Peterlor's enemies saw her as prey… but she was a hunter.

"Enjoy the surprise!" a child-like voice echoed through the corridor. Lily held up the metalloid sphere that was in her palm and pressed a button on the back.

There was a faint bleeping noise but the soldiers did not have any time to react as an enormous fiery explosion instantly turned their bodies to ash.

BOOM!