Interstellar Beast World: All My Husbands Are Powerful and Rich!-Chapter 44: Saved?

"Just look at those two males of yours," the Rank 11 Chitinid crooned, its grotesque head lifting as the countless eyes embedded in its cheeks swiveled toward Jasper and Dax. Each eye gleamed with cruel amusement. "They look ready to throw their lives away for you. Fools."

Its warped lips peeled back into something resembling a sinister grin.

"So that’s the Violet Obsidian’s forbidden art, hm? Interesting... very interesting. Amusing, even." A wet chuckle bubbled from its throat. "It seems that little Dragon Kind snake isn’t entirely useless after all."

Then its tone shifted, dripping with mockery and confidence as it continued.

"But sadly for them, they won’t get the chance to kill me today. Be patient for just a moment, sweet little female. Once I finish off these two, I’ll take you back to our nest myself."

The instant Rory realized the creature was about to strike Jasper and Dax, something inside her snapped.

Fear, rage, and desperation fused into a violent surge of willpower that tore through the invisible restraints binding her. The mental pressure shattered like glass. In one breathless instant, she regained control of her body once more.

And then, she moved without thinking.

Rory lunged forward and wrapped both arms around the Chitinid’s grotesque, lumpy tail—its surface riddled with swollen growths and pulsating veins.

"Jasper! Dax!" she screamed, her voice hoarse with terror. "You can’t fight this thing! You’re no match for it! Don’t worry about me—run! Get out of here, now!"

Her grip tightened as she shouted, forcing herself not to look back.

She wasn’t yet fully bonded to Jasper. If she died here, neither Jasper nor Dax would perish with her. At worst, they would lose a rank or two—painful, yes, but survivable. For Rank 8 and Rank 9 powerhouses like them, lost strength could be cultivated back in no time.

But if they stayed... they would definitely die. And she did not want that.

"Damn you!" the Chitinid shrieked, its entire body twisting violently. "How dare you touch my tail?!"

Every single eye on its body snapped toward Rory, blazing with fury.

No one touches my tail, it raged internally. Not even my own brood. Only my master is permitted such contact. And yet this insignificant therian female dares—!

Unforgivable.

"Very well," it hissed coldly. "Since you care so much about those two males... I’ll eat you right in front of them."

Its grotesque mouth—split unnaturally from ear to ear—yawned open. The flesh stretched and warped, swelling outward until it resembled a miniature black hole, swallowing light itself.

Rory’s heart seized.

What kind of monster is this...?

She was flung to the ground as the Chitinid loomed over her. With only Rank 4 strength, she couldn’t fight back. She couldn’t even crawl away.

"Rory!"

"No—!"

Jasper and Dax’s anguished cries echoed in her ears, tearing at her heart.

She wanted—desperately—to look at them one last time. To burn their faces into her memory before everything went dark.

But her body betrayed her again, locking rigid as the Chitinid’s power surged.

Maybe this is for the best, she thought bitterly. If I don’t see Jasper one last time, I won’t hesitate.

If dying here meant stopping them from sacrificing themselves for her, then so be it.

Let me die instead.

At least this way... I’m still winning, she thought weakly, even as despair swallowed her whole.

Rory shut her eyes.

Just as the Chitinid’s black-hole maw began to close over her—

A streak of fire ripped across the sky.

The night exploded into blazing light as a piercing avian cry rang through the forest. In the next heartbeat, a massive fireball descended like divine punishment, slamming straight into the Chitinid.

Boom!

The explosion tore the land apart, carving a crater nearly three hundred feet deep. The shockwave blasted outward, pulverizing earth and stone. Trees for miles were instantly reduced to ash.

Pain tore through Rory’s chest. She spat blood as her consciousness flickered.

Before darkness claimed her, she felt her body hurled through the air like a discarded doll. The ground fractured. Sand and debris scoured the air. Heat scorched everything.

Am I... saved?

Or... not?

Her thoughts dissolved as the world went black.

Far away, Sylas arrived with his men—but before he could even glimpse Rory, the raging shockwave slammed into them, sending everyone flying.

Time passed.

Somewhere deep within a damp, shadowy ravine, faint chirping echoed.

Rory lay beside a shallow pool, motionless.

Perched atop her tangled, scorched hair was a plump black bird no larger than a palm. Its feathers were soot-dark, and it pecked gently at her forehead with an inky beak, careful not to hurt her despite its obvious anxiety.

A charred stick was lodged awkwardly through one of its ragged wings, making the scene oddly comical.

The bird—Kather—chirped incessantly, hopping back and forth across her brow, leaving faint claw smudges behind. Panic radiated from him as he stared down at Rory’s burned body, still blackened by his Phoenix Trueflame.

If not for the faint rise and fall of her chest—and the weak pulse of power still clinging to her—he would have believed she was dead.

Three months ago, Kather and Yuel had been fighting Chitinids on the outer battlefield. The swarm had been immense, forcing them to spend two grueling months pushing the enemy back.

Just as they prepared to return to the Empire, betrayal struck from within their own ranks. Kather was trapped, unable to leave.

Yuel stayed behind to save him.

Stranded on the outer battlefield meant absolute isolation. Only commands from the Empire’s Commander-in-Chief could reach them. Everything else—signals, guidance—was lost. Worse still, it was frighteningly easy to lose one’s way.

They had planned to seek help from scavengers to return to the Central District.

Instead, fate mocked them.

They encountered a Rank 11 Chitinid.

It destroyed all their equipment—their weapons, their light-brains, their gear.

The only stroke of fortune?

They managed to track the monster all the way back to the Empire’s borders—

To Veridan City.