The moment those words left his mouth—
Seraphine's fingers trembled, just barely.
Because deep down, she knew—
He wasn't entirely wrong.
She'd seen it herself.
Too many worlds gone dry.
Too many civilizations fading into silence once their resources ran out.
But even so—
She couldn't bring herself to walk that path.
The man didn't press further.
With a flicker of motion, he vanished—reappearing atop the warship's deck.
A heartbeat later—
Dozens of energy nodes lit up across the ship's hull.
The main cannon deployed.
Targeting systems locked in.
A cold, merciless killing intent swept across the desert like a tidal wave.
Seraphine's pupils shrank.
"They're really going to wipe this place out…"
Panic erupted.
Some dropped to their knees in the sand.
Others clung to each other, sobbing quietly.
"Your Majesty… go…"
"We have no future left…"
"Don't die here with us…"
Despair swept through the crowd like a storm.
Seraphine didn't answer.
She simply raised her hand.
