Oswaldo's eyes bulged with rage.
He never imagined that just two days of distraction—spent on the mines and searching for crystals—would lead to this.
These cowboys had somehow obtained such formidable power.
"Oh dear~ What an injustice! Little Sparkle here has been wandering around the base all this time. How could I possibly have helped them?"
Sparkle raised both hands, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
"You better not have!"
Oswaldo snorted heavily.
He decided then and there to personally suppress these cowboys, using the power he had just acquired.
He had to admit, these cowboys—whoever knew what they'd been through—had somehow gained immense strength all at once.
But if this was all they had, it was nothing in the face of his current power.
Just as he was about to leave, however.
A crimson figure appeared before him.
Sparkle held a crystal in one hand, her other resting on her hip, as she flashed Oswaldo a teasing grin:
"Old man~ You didn't really think the Masked Fools were pushovers, did you? Don't forget, I've been using these crystals far longer than you have~"
As she spoke, Oswaldo suddenly felt the power in his own crystal being siphoned away.
An extremely solid amber shield enveloped the entire garden.
Every exit was sealed off by the barrier.
Oswaldo's expression turned grim.
He channeled the power of Preservation into his fist and slammed it against the shield with all his might!
BOOM—!!!
A violent shockwave rippled through the garden.
But the sturdy barrier held firm, without so much as a tremor.
"Save your strength, old man~ I told you, you can't break it with the same power. Now, just stay put and watch the cowboys' rebellion with me~"
"…"
Oswaldo's breathing grew heavy.
A cautious man by nature, he had brought only his most trusted aides on this operation to avoid leaks.
And his style was always one of absolute centralization.
Meaning the authority to issue commands belonged to Oswaldo alone.
He alone liaised with all departments at his level.
And now faced with the cowboys' sudden assault, Oswaldo, the head of this base, was trapped here by Sparkle.
Which meant there wasn't a single soul left in the base who could give orders.
How the situation would tilt from here—
Everyone present knew perfectly well.
Oswaldo closed his eyes and took a deep, sharp breath:
"As long as I don't use its power to kill you, it's fine, right?"
Killing intent poured forth from Oswaldo, undisguised.
Anyone who thought him a feeble pushover was sorely mistaken.
Oswaldo stowed the crystal away and undid the buttons of his restrictive suit jacket.
A terrifying, bloodthirsty aura—like that of a wild beast—rolled toward Sparkle.
But who was Sparkle?
Did he really think a little intimidation would scare her?
"Oho, unlocking the second stage, are we? But~ it's still not quite enough."
Sparkle watched as the fist—whistling through the air—came at her.
Her petite body lightly stepped back, evading the heavy blow.
Then, with a nimble flip, she landed on a nearby tea table.
Sparkle hadn't actually planned to trap Oswaldo here until the end.
But if the cowboys hadn't seized the heavy artillery yet, hadn't commandeered the ships—
Then this fight wouldn't be evenly matched.
What was the fun in watching Oswaldo mow everyone down alone?
She wanted to see Oswaldo struggle under the aim of a warship's main cannon!
--+--
As for 'Sparkle', she had already guessed what Sparkle was thinking.
It fit the image of a troublemaker like Sparkle perfectly.
As for safety…
Pfft, who was Sparkle? Since when did she need anyone to worry about her?
'Sparkle' took one last look at the makeshift arena in the garden, then turned and left.
The cowboys' raid had startled her too.
After releasing the virus, 'Sparkle' hadn't paid them much mind.
She'd been too busy experiencing the unique local customs of Aeragan-Epharshel.
Perhaps the pressure from the Company had been too great.
The sudden power hadn't made the cowboys arrogant—instead, it ignited an extraordinary fighting spirit in them.
Although 'Sparkle' hadn't yet seen anyone capable of unleashing that explosive aura.
The fact they'd grown to this extent…
Showed just how much humiliation the Interastral Peace Corporation had brought upon these cowboys.
Caught off guard by the surprise attack, the Company members were swiftly routed.
Even worse, they discovered their boss—Oswaldo—was out of contact.
As mentioned before, Oswaldo personally oversaw all subordinate departments.
While each department could manage its own internal response, coordination between them was impossible.
Each had its own ideas, each convinced its own plan was superior to the others.
They fought separately while bickering endlessly over the comms.
And so, every Company base, large or small, suffered painful defeats.
A massive amount of Company armaments—even control of the orbital fleet—was seized by the cowboys.
And the most interesting part?
Dr. Primitive's superhuman genes enhanced everything, including the brain—creating all-around superhumans.
Which meant, the stronger a cowboy's displayed power, the more developed their brain and the smarter they became.
Reverse-engineering weaponry might be beyond them, but following a manual to pilot a battleship? That was no challenge at all.
--+--
The chaos lasted a full day.
Sparkle, of course, had slipped out early, meeting up with her other self on a nearby hill.
The Company casualties were severe, and worse yet—thanks to Sparkle's deliberate arrangements—the Company fleet had fallen into the cowboys' hands.
Watching Oswaldo get blasted by a warship's main cannon from beyond the atmosphere—
Sparkle nearly cried from laughter.
"Speaking of which, isn't it about time you made your entrance?"
Still laughing, Sparkle glanced at her other self, who had already taken on the form of an Arbiter.
"Indeed, it's time."
'Sparkle' checked her panel:
--+--
[Role-Playing System]
[Name: Bai Ming]
[Lifespan: 450 years (paused) + 16 days (role-play)]
[Transformable Roles: Big Herta (Available), Acheron (Available), Celenova (Charge: 76.4%), Jingliu (Charge: 64.4%), Ruan Mei (Charge: 45.4%), Sparkle (Currently Active)]
[Available Draws: 1 (20.5%)]
--+--
After so many days of stirring up trouble with Sparkle, the gains were substantial—enough for another draw.
Let's see what card it'll be this time.
As always, the train sped by, followed by the familiar golden light.
But this time, a strange image appeared.
A creature resembling a heteromorphic skeleton materialized before her.
Jet-black bones, a peculiar crown, silver hair, and a chest hung with a cluster of doll heads.
All around floated numerous small, suspended puppets.
[Lord Ravager, Rubert III – Herta, Devoured by Irontomb]
"…?"
Seeing the title beneath the illustration, 'Sparkle' slowly formed a question mark in her mind.
What the hell is this?
Which timeline's Herta is this supposed to be??
--+--