With several ships exploding in rapid succession, the threat posed by the Royal Wu Corps immediately diminished.
"Damn it! How could this happen?"
Queen Rowan's heart raced in panic. She barely had time to process her fear before, in the distance, the Swordfish Array charged toward her ship at terrifying speed.
"Stop him! Quickly, stop him!"
Rowan's soldiers scrambled, summoning their defensive artifacts, yet no matter how many they deployed over ten thousand troops they were powerless against the Duntian Shuttle.
The Swordfish Array pierced through them like a string of meteors, cutting through thousands in an instant. Only after striking this devastating blow did its force finally diminish, halted by one of their shield-type weapons.
"Hmph! Kill!"
Rowan, with ruthless precision, unleashed the Crimson Vine. The monstrous crimson tendrils struck toward the ship where Queen Rowan was undoubtedly hiding. He knew that taking down the leader first was the fastest way to win.
Like a ghost, he moved through the battlefield, the Crimson Vine slaughtering everyone in his path. Every soul's valuables, all their dimension stones and space rings, were swiftly absorbed.
Money left behind is money wasted.
Rowan lived by that principle, taking every scrap he could, leaving nothing behind.
Queen Rowan, watching her forces get shredded, finally understood what Rowan intended. The composure and arrogance she had once flaunted were gone, replaced by sheer terror.
The cosmic-level warrior who had previously escaped Rowan's grasp met the Crimson Vine again. This time, his luck ran out. After severing three tendrils, he was finally crushed in the vine's relentless grip.
Even newly ascended cosmic-level soldiers of the Royal Wu Corps fell without tasting the glory and wealth their promotion had promised.
This was the world of dimensions within dimensions. In the hunt for treasures, one either dies or is grievously wounded. Life was a constant battlefield, a swirling pit of death. Casualties were inevitable every second.
Rowan had no interest in prolonging the fight. He had already fed dozens of blood vines to the Crimson Vine, greatly accelerating its recovery. But its power was still diminished. If it were heavily damaged again, it might not recover quickly enough. Being surrounded and overwhelmed would be foolish.
After careful consideration, Rowan made a bold decision: he would capture Queen Rowan directly.
With her in his grasp, the Royal Wu Corps would dare not act recklessly. Moreover, she carried most of the dimension stones, making the capture immensely profitable. Being of royal blood, she likely possessed countless treasures as well. Fortune favored the bold.
Rowan steeled himself. He drew the Crimson Vine together around him, moving forward like a predator. The Swordfish Array surged again, targeting the enemy fleet.
Queen Rowan panicked. She ordered her forces to block him, but the soldiers knew the gap in strength was insurmountable. They were all Stellar-level Ninth Rank, yet Rowan's abilities completely overshadowed theirs.
Some realized the futility and fled, abandoning the fight. Rowan allowed them to escape as long as they surrendered their space rings and dimension stones. Survival was all that mattered.
Weapons, treasures, and space rings flew into Rowan's possession, collected into his space ring. From the initial eighty thousand troops, over forty thousand were dead, more than ten thousand escaped, leaving fewer than thirty thousand struggling to survive.
It had been a massive battle, and it barely lasted an hour.
"Babata, scan the space rings. Tell me how many dimension stones and how much energy can help Crimson Vine recover," Rowan ordered.
Even now, the Crimson Vine's speed and power were diminished. From seventy-two main tendrils, only sixty-two remained capable of growth.
Rowan had no choice. He had to risk everything to capture Queen Rowan. If successful, the rest of the battle would be trivial.
The Crimson Vine surged forward, covering thirty kilometers, enveloping Queen Rowan's ship. She tried to flee, but Rowan channeled all his spiritual energy into the Swordfish Array.
It pierced through hundreds of Stellar-level Ninth Rank soldiers, crashing into the ship's shields and sending ripples across the surface. The shield trembled, and Rowan poured every ounce of his spiritual power into the attack.
The ship's defenses broke. The Swordfish Array stormed inside, an untamed force of slaughter. In the blink of an eye, twenty-four of the twenty-five crew members were dead. Only one remained: Queen Rowan herself.
Her forehead was slick with cold sweat. The Swordfish Array hovered less than a meter from her head, a thought from Rowan enough to end her life.
"Order all your soldiers to retreat, or I will kill you instantly," Rowan transmitted via spiritual telepathy.
Queen Rowan understood the seriousness of the threat. Weighing her options, she obeyed, commanding her forces to withdraw. Most were relieved; they had escaped death.
In the chaos, Rowan seized all remaining treasures, space rings, and dimension stones. The once eighty-thousand-strong army was now reduced to fewer than thirty thousand.
Babata scanned the rings, revealing thirty-six thousand wooden crystal nodes and four thousand eight hundred fifty-one blood vines. Rowan fed eight hundred blood vines to the Crimson Vine, rapidly restoring its strength and regenerating severed tendrils.
Rowan entered the ship. Without shields, the vessel was torn open by his spiritual power. On the second floor, Queen Rowan's body glistened with sweat. She dared not move, fearing a single misstep could trigger the Duntian Shuttle.
"What do you want?" she demanded, trying to mask her terror.
"Two choices. First, hand over all your dimension stones and treasures. Second, die, and I will take everything from you by force," Rowan said, crimson light glinting in his eyes.
Queen Rowan panicked. Rowan was no joke one thought from him could kill her. Yet her royal pride resisted immediate submission.
Seeing her hesitation, Rowan counted: one, two. The Duntian Shuttle spun, generating a tempestuous energy inside the cabin, making the threat undeniable.
"Enough!" she cried, dropping to her knees. "I surrender. Take the space rings and all dimension stones. Please spare me!"
Rowan smiled, crouching to grasp her delicate face. "I like clever women. You're quite something."
She was indeed impressive a blue-blooded woman of high pedigree, her pale blue skin and hair marking her as Stellar-level from adulthood. Rowan considered subduing this highborn woman, who had so arrogantly considered herself above all.
"Hands off!" she snapped, but before she could react, Rowan struck her across the face.
The force sent her flying several meters, colliding with the ship's wall and denting it.
"Listen carefully. Give me everything or I'll take it myself," he said, impatient. Her beauty meant nothing; he could have as many women as he desired.
Despite her rage and humiliation, she complied, surrendering her dimension stones and treasures.
Rowan quickly assessed the spoils: four third-tier original energy weapons, two fourth-tier, a set of third-tier armor, a fourth-tier battle suit, and countless wooden crystal nodes totaling one thousand, alongside three hundred blood vines. Enough to propel her to Stellar-level Ninth Rank.
"Now, you stay with me," Rowan said calmly, marking her with a Soul Seal. Queen Rowan knelt, eyes filled with awe and submission.
"Good. Very good. Now, remove your clothes and serve me properly."
The Crimson Vine wrapped the entire ship in a thirty-kilometer protective cocoon. The outside world remained oblivious.
Once a supreme queen, she was now entirely under Rowan's control. They remained in the ship for a full day and night. Even after such an ordeal, her spirit remained strong, though her body lay exhausted, resting on his shoulder.