While Noah and Omid were finishing the first test, the forces outside were moving fast and with deadly precision.

Floating in the vast Cosmos, close to the tidally locked planet with three suns was the Sphere-like spaceship of Omid. The main ship that he had left in Orbit to avoid the Gravity Well of the planet and keep the engine ready to move as fast as possible should the force of Dorothy and the Mercenary Guild appear.

In the ship, the pirates who stayed were becoming restless as the situation continued to evolve in a way they were not able to understand no matter how much they tried.

They had been trying to contact those down on the planet for a few seconds now but to no avail. No matter what they did, there was no response. This was despite the fact that everything seemed to be working properly.

In such a situation, the protocol would be to dispatch a few scouts to explore and understand what was happening but they were unable to do such things as most of the combat personnel were already down there.

If everyone was dead or unable to respond then sending more was useless.

The second in command, Bijan, a man with red markings, similar to those of Morgiana growled quietly. He had once been a soldier under the order of Omid during the period when they were serving Queen Scheherazade in the Thousand and One Night Palace.

However, like many, they had fled from the planet because of the current oppressive atmosphere created by Sultan Shahryar and his Minister Jafar.

Chasing away the thought of his homeland, Bijan focused on the matter at hand. With his experience, he should have been used to complicated situations that needed fast decision making, but currently all he could feel was confusion as his reasoning fought against his heart.

A few minutes ago, a blinding light shot from the planet, reaching far into the cosmos. So far he would not be surprised if the radar of a few systems deeper in the galaxy caught it.

What should have been a simple and secretive matter was becoming increasingly complicated as he was sure that a few random pirates and adventurers might soon be attracted to come and see what was going on.

This was something beyond the experience of all those present and they were wondering what the best course of action should be now.

“Perhaps the Captain and all the others are dead?”

Someone muttered out loud what everyone else was thinking, before being shushed by the others, but the damage was already done.

Pirates were not soldiers. It would be stupid to expect them to stay longer than necessary and sacrifice themselves. They had been following and acting as good little soldiers while controlling their nature as pirates until now because of Omid. Bijan neither had the strength nor prestige of Omid and he couldn't order them to die.

They would never die for useless things such as honor and loyalty. Only cold hard credits could make them risk their lives.

“So, what do we do?”

The Djinn looked down at the map while observing the state of their ship.

The situation was dire and they had no information, the bulk of their main force was all with Omid and those here were mostly staff and low-level pirates.

The ship itself boasted reasonable firepower and defense but it was nothing impressive, even more so when compared to the float of the Emerald City.

His own poor Mecha alone would be useless. It certainly did not have the power that Omid’s Mecha had.

What should I do?

For an instant, he contemplated giving the order to stay. Even though he was no longer a soldier, Omid had taken very good care of him and he had always been very loyal

But one look at the crew members was enough to tell him that he would have a true and complete mutiny on his hands should he make this choice. He might be able to kill them but then this would defeat the whole point.

Sorry, Captain. I am sure you would understand if you were here.

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It was with a defeated sigh that he finally took his decision, “We are —”

Boom!

His voice was interrupted as the ship suddenly shook and a red alarm blared. All the pirates who had been ready to leave immediately took their positions.

“We are getting bombarded!”

Boom! Boom!

“Activate the shield immediately!Activate the Warp Engines! we are Diving in the Sea!”

Bijan immediately discarded all hesitation he may have had. They needed to flee now. Unfortunately, it was already too late.

“The space in our surroundings is frozen! Unable to enter Hyperspace!”

“Shields at 40%! Still unable to detect the enemy!”

Bad news came one after another. They had not even been able to exchange fire. This was simply and purely a one-sided massacre.

What the hell is happening!?

He looked at the radar which showed nothing outside of a few floating rocks but they were undoubtedly being attacked.

Sneak attack.

Invisible enemies.

Powerful Weapons.

The incoming force of Oz

It did not take long for a name to appear in his mind as he put all the pieces together.

In Oz, there was one legion that was special in the way it operated.

Made of nothing but stealth units that could approach extremely close to nearly any ship without being detected by anyone and able to swiftly exterminate even a full armada.

They were feared in the galaxy as one of the most dishonorable but efficient armed groups.

“The Lion Pride Legion.”

He muttered the name as dread filled his mind. He wished to be wrong. But he knew he wasn’t.

Alongside the Heart Metal Legion and the Tactical Scarecrow Legion, they were one of the three principal legions protecting the planet Oz and represented Dorothy Gale’s personal armed force.

Why!?

He could not understand. Sending one of the three legions simply to deal with small shrimp-like them? Why was Dorothy going so far? Even if she had a good relationship with Alibaba and Morgiana this was too much.

How could this even be worth it?

“Boss!? What do we do!?”

He looked at the man who asked him and fought the urge to burn him to a crisp.

“What do we do!? Are you fucking stupid!? Raise the white flag immediately! What the hell do you think we can do? If any of you want to die then go, don't bring us down with you!”

His roar immediately calmed the unrest as they realized that indeed there was absolutely nothing they could do in this situation.

—

Standing around two meters tall was a man with a humanoid form. His body was nearly entirely encased in a seemingly medieval golden armor with only his head free from a helmet.

“Tch! I guess those people are smart at least. Your orders Dorothy? Should we destroy them now?”

His head was that of a lion and his mane seemed to be made of fire as it shone under the light.

In his right hand, was a hairbrush he was carefully using on his mane. The attack on the pirate ship was of no interest to him. Bringing his legion here was like bringing a nuke to a knife fight. The power difference was simply too unequal and there was no suspense.

He loved that.

Fights with zero doubt about the outcome were always the best in his opinion.

Since victory was assured, he was more interested in making sure his mane was flowing and tidy. A lion mane was a lion’s pride and he prided himself in being a very handsome lion.

Meanwhile, sitting on her throne was Dorothy. But this time she was not wearing her normal attire.

Rather she was wearing regal Power Armor in black, silver and white with an emerald-colored cloak on her back.

Her beautiful face was hidden behind an expressionless white mask but through it, you could hear the laughter in her voice as she spoke.

“For a cowardly lion, you are acting quite proud. I remember you were ready to surrender when the wicked witch attacked us.”

“And me surrendering is the reason she didn’t boil us alive and eat us. Your point?”

His toothy grin was quite menacing but Dorothy knew he meant no harm.

Laughing, she stood up, her silver boots giving a distinct click as she walked toward her friend and companion who had shared the highs and the lows with her.

“Don’t kill the pirates yet. They are still worth more alive than dead, the emerald mine needs new prisoners.”

“Are you leaving?”

“Yeah…I am. I need to be there.”

He frowned, he wished to tell her to at least take her Mecha but he knew this was unnecessary.

No one could catch Dorothy while she wore her Silver Boots.

There was no sound nor light as Dorothy vanished, going down to take one of the smaller ships.

The [Silver Flash] they called her long before she became recognized as a witch.

A very good name but he liked [The Silver Reaper] more. Only because it always made her embarrassed. Dorothy writhing in embarrassment was always fun.

Sighing a little, the Lion ignored the looks the staff were throwing at him as he took out a mirror to admire his work.

He had a date after this and he needed to be at his best.