Volume One, Chapter 52: Garum and Garuna
“Nothing at all,” Tregear replied coolly. “But you, human—what are you coming near me for?”
Seeing that he showed no hostility, Emerana felt a wave of relief in her heart. She smiled gently and said, “I saw you here alone, so I came to check on you.”
“Are you an Ultra Warrior?”
The question caught Tregear off guard.
Could it be that, apart from Zero who had visited before, there were other Ultra Warriors in this universe? Or perhaps, this woman had simply judged from his appearance that he was an Ultra Warrior?
With that thought, Tregear lowered his head, gazing straight into Emerana’s eyes. His look seemed to pierce through to her soul.
But soon, surprise flickered across his face.
This woman harbored not a single desire.
“Go on your way,” Tregear said indifferently, releasing the spaceship and turning to drift forward.
With the two elemental powers lost to him, he had to seek other means of strengthening himself.
Otherwise, failure was only a matter of time.
“What a strange fellow,” Emerana muttered, steering her ship in another direction.
The thought of soon meeting Mirror Knight and the others made her smile involuntarily. Memories from the past flooded her mind, scene after scene. Lost in thought, Emerana failed to notice the flickering metallic planet ahead, hurtling straight toward her.
———
Plasma Galaxy, Jonah Star.
This planet was highly advanced, renowned not only for its powerful technology but also for its vast population—one of the most famous in the surrounding star systems.
With such advanced science, medical care had reached extraordinary heights.
In a hospital ward, a weakened Gats alien lay bedridden. Tubes carrying various fluids were inserted all over his body, and several large life-support machines stood beside him.
These devices were the most sophisticated medical equipment on Jonah Star. The cost for a single day of use reached as much as two hundred thousand Kanai.
Two hundred thousand Kanai—a figure so astronomical that an ordinary person on this planet would have to toil for decades, living on nothing, to earn it.
And this Gats alien had lain here for ten thousand years.
Click—
The ward door opened, and in walked a cosmic being in a white coat. Two nurses from Pit Star, dressed in their uniforms, followed behind.
The doctor walked straight to the life-support unit, glanced at the fading indicator lights, and asked expressionlessly, “How long since his brother last visited?”
“Dr. Modior, it’s been four years,” replied one of the nurses behind him.
Modior frowned, looking at the Gats alien lying in bed.
In the past, this patient’s family had always paid the bills on time, never missing a year.
But now, four years had passed without a single visit.
It was hard not to suspect that the family had given up.
Given up on this Gats alien who would never recover.
Understandable, given how immense the medical expenses were—few across Jonah Star could afford them.
For a Galactic Hunter to persist for ten thousand years was already remarkable.
“Sigh…” Modior exhaled and gave a helpless order: “The energy in the unit will run out in three hours. If no one comes by then, prepare to withdraw everything.”
In truth, with certainty that the family would not return, he could have shut down the life-support immediately. The energy inside was precious; even the remaining three hours would cost a hefty thirty thousand Kanai.
Yet he hadn’t given the order to end it right away, out of pity for this patient.
Perhaps sensing his imminent fate, Garuda in the bed opened his eyes.
He looked terribly frail, his gaze dull and muddy, a thick aura of death enveloping him.
Modior stepped to his side and asked calmly, “Mr. Garuda, your brother hasn’t come for four years now. Though it pains me to ask, do you have any last words?”
At the mention of “brother,” a glimmer of hope and longing flickered in Garuda’s eyes.
He struggled to turn his head toward Modior.
Such a simple movement, yet sweat beaded on his forehead, his breathing growing labored.
“Doc…tor…” Garuda mouthed, his voice rasping and barely audible. “If my brother… if he comes… tell him… I’m sorry…”
Beep—
As the last word fell, a tear slid slowly from the corner of Garuda’s eye.
Ten thousand years—he had lain here for ten thousand years.
During that time, he had thought of suicide, of ending it all just to escape the pain.
But each time, his brother encouraged him to keep living.
Because while there is life, there is hope.
But hope, for him, was unbearably faint.
He knew his own body better than anyone—complete cellular necrosis, nearly half his nerves severed, and the effects of radiation. He would never recover.
Without the life-support machines, his vitality would have been gone ten thousand years ago.
As time ticked by, Garuda’s pupils slowly began to lose focus.
In his daze, he seemed to see his brother—the one who loved him deeply, yet had been burdened by him for ten thousand years.
“Brother… is that you?”
Tears blurred his vision until he could no longer distinguish reality from illusion.
“It’s me.”
He heard that voice—clear, heavy, unmistakable.
“Garum!” Modior cried in surprise.
The two nurses behind him were equally stunned.
Garum had appeared in the ward without the slightest warning.
Were it not for his strong nerves, Modior would have doubted his own eyes.
“You…” He started to speak, then his gaze fell upon the sword at Garum’s waist. His mouth dropped open, his eyes slowly glazing over.
“The… the… Demon Blade!”
Terrified beyond measure, Modior let out a scream and collapsed to his knees with a thud.
The two nurses did the same, their eyes glued to the Seven Trout at Garum’s side, throats working as they swallowed desperately.
To wield the Demon Blade meant only one thing—the man before them was its new master.
Modior broke into a cold sweat, his voice trembling with fear. “M-My lord…”
Garum turned and said gently, “Dr. Modior, you are my benefactor. Please, just call me by my name. I have been away for four years on an urgent mission. Please, replenish the life-support’s energy as soon as possible—I will pay the full amount shortly.”