The moment the anchor hit the sea, the Cat's Ideal mounted on the ship lit up with a warm glow.

Rita activated her disguise skill, taking on the form of an owlet, then teleported to the helm and gave the wheel a light turn. In an instant, the ship vanished from BlueStar. A surge of force slammed into her as the vessel tore through what felt like a roaring underwater tunnel, speeding forward until it burst from the waves into a different ocean altogether.

As she steered, she also triggered Hide-and-Seek—a skill she had learned on her own, just like Lightchaser's technique. Since returning from the Card Swap game, she'd reactivated it by training during frozen-time intervals.

Her plan was meticulous: slip in quietly, find her cat, scoop it up under one arm, and slip out again—no alarms, no witnesses.

But what she didn't expect was that the instant her ship appeared in this new sea, the sky of the world itself began to shout.

[Warning, warning! BlueStar's Judgment has descended! BlueStar's Judgment has descended!]

[Warning, warning! BlueStar's Judgment has descended! BlueStar's Judgment has descended!]

[Warning, warning! BlueStar's Judgment has descended! BlueStar's Judgment has descended!]

Rita: "......"

B8017913 turned toward her, sensing the mix of irritation and smug satisfaction twisting across her face.

Not only did the entire world broadcast her arrival, but a golden BlueStar emblem appeared on her forehead. It shot into the sky, expanded until it outshone the clouds, then returned to her brow, glowing steadily like an unblinking star.

She didn't know which world this was, but there was no time to waste. The horizon was an endless sea. She picked a direction and shot forward, slicing through the air.

If she couldn't hide—then she'd just end it fast.

Canceling her disguise, Rita unleashed the golden rainfall again.

Almost immediately, a strange sensation pulsed through her—she could feel where her vice-captain was.

Not far. And moving toward her.

"They can sense us when we arrive," B8017913 said. "It's coming this way."

Rita mused, "What if a vice-captain doesn't want to leave their world one day? Would they hide?"

"They'll tell us," came the calm answer. "If they'd rather stay, they'll say so."

That sounded fair enough.

She flew for several minutes until land came into view. The cube perched on her shoulder spoke again, "Black Spring."

Rita could already see someone fishing on the shore—Autumn Deer—but she didn't slow down. She streaked right past them.

Black Spring's terrain was strange and vibrant: every few hundred meters, fountains erupted from the ground in random bursts of sparkling water. Their heights and durations were inconsistent, giving the land a restless rhythm.

After a few more seconds of flight, Rita spotted her vice-captain—a calico cat sprinting across the geysers.

Calico wore a white-and-silver scarf around its neck and was being chased by dozens of Autumn Deer players.

At the same time, several Black Spring Lords and their leaders appeared behind Rita in flashes of light.

The cat didn't see her, but it felt her presence. Its Captain was here. And not just here—she had brought far more dangerous company.

Moments ago, Calico's eyes had been full of stubborn tears as it ran for its life. Now, its voice turned sugary sweet. "Meow~ meow~ meow~!"

Ah. The fabled sweetheart in distress.

Rita teleported beside it, scooped the cat into her arms, and shot upward again.

She'd planned to activate Absolute Freedom to escape immediately—but that skill only affected herself. To take her pet with her, it needed to return to her companion space first.

Since she wanted to bring her vice-captain along, she'd have to reach the ocean and summon the Cat Ship.

Calico clung to her shoulder, looking back over its furry neck. Its eyes were still wet, but its tone had become serious. "Next time you have enemies that strong, don't come looking for me, alright?"

Rita: …So much for the adorable part.

Behind them, Black Spring's Lords—Loath, Mud Bears, and Midwinter—were catching up fast.

Their skills flashed in the air, shouts of fury echoing across the plains.

Rita poured all her power into speed, golden lightning lashing out behind her like storm-born spears, splitting into dozens of thick bolts that tore through the chasing crowd.

Calico lifted its head, studying her for several seconds. Then, with a delighted gleam in its eyes, it said, "I knew the rumors were wrong! They said you'd sneak in quietly, take us away in secret. But this—this is incredible! Captain, you're nothing like they described. You're so romantic."

Rita kept her face perfectly straight. "...Of course. My vice-captain deserves nothing less than the best."

B8017913: "..."

Just then, a notification rang in her mind.

[Respected BlueStar Judgment, the invasion rules have been updated. You may review them via the Invasion Sequence.]

Even the pursuers behind her faltered for a moment.

Still flying full speed, Rita pulled a capsule from her gacha, twisted it open, and found the glowing rune inside—an Invasion Sequence.

Three rules glimmered before her eyes, one slightly altered.

[Rule 5: When a world is under invasion, it shall temporarily disappear from the Invasion Sequence. No other worlds may invade it again.]

[Rule 20: When worlds are at peace, they will drift toward the nearest peaceful world. Upon contact, war will automatically begin.]

[Rule 21: Remove the restriction preventing eight-star worlds from initiating invasions. By consuming 20 Invasion Sequences, an eight-star world may invade another world up to two star ranks below its own.]

This update shoved the already inevitable wars even further forward.

If before it had been one-on-one conflicts, now it would be chaos—full-scale world battles.

The only sliver of good news was that, according to the rules, a world could only be invaded by one other world at a time. Since BlueStar was already under Lania Kaia's assault, it couldn't be attacked again—but Lania Kaia? That was another story.

Looking back, Rita saw the Black Spring leaders' faces grow grim.

They understood what she did—Black Spring was also in the middle of invading another world.

They chased her for several more minutes. Just as the sea came into view again, the pursuit abruptly stopped. Rita halted midair and turned her gaze upward.

The sky above Black Spring erupted with light. Dozens of colossal orbs fell like meteors, streaking through the clouds.

[Battle Announcement: "Tingo" has initiated an invasion against "Black Spring." Connection established. Invasion commencing.]

[Battle Announcement: "Nuclear Flash" has initiated an invasion against "Marmang." Connection established. Invasion commencing.]

[Battle Announcement: "Sakura" has initiated an invasion against "Winter Sea." Connection established. Invasion commencing.]

[Battle Announcement: "Fury" has initiated an invasion against "Oddity: Amber Mark." Connection established. Invasion commencing.]

[Battle Announcement: "Dawn" has initiated an invasion against "Lania Kaia." Connection established. Invasion commencing.]

While the leaders froze in disbelief, Rita already had Calico in her arms, summoning the Cat's Ideal over the waves.

As the ship disappeared into the horizon, she turned her head one last time.

The three Black Spring leaders stood there, gazing at the falling lights.

Rita had expected to see rage or despair.

Instead, all she saw was calm.

A stillness born not of peace, but of resignation—of fear and anxiety that had finally taken shape.

They had always known this day would come.

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