First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess-Chapter 445: Expected Turn of Events

The vault finished opening with a long, dragged-out groan, metal plates folding inward and locking into the walls as if the place itself had finally accepted defeat. Warm air rolled out first, carrying the smell of old power systems, dust, and something that reminded Xavier of ozone and burned circuitry.

They stepped inside.

The space wasn’t a room. It was a hollowed sector, wider than a hangar, the ceiling disappearing into darkness broken only by slow, floating light nodes that activated one after another as they crossed the threshold. Rows didn’t exist here. Nothing was neatly arranged. It looked like Bull had dumped fragments of half the galaxy into one place and decided that was good enough.

Crates stacked on crates, some sealed, some cracked open. Raw gold ingots lay piled beside slabs of unfamiliar alloys that shimmered faintly even without light hitting them directly. Veins of rare metals were stored in vacuum frames, each tagged with markings Xavier didn’t recognize but Klatos did, his breathing changing the moment he saw them.

"Those alone could fund a private fleet," Klatos muttered.

Rin walked past a rack of weapons mounted directly into the floor. Not mass-produced junk. Custom builds. Modular rifles with cores that pulsed faintly. Blades with edges that didn’t reflect light properly. A few pieces made Rin stop and stare longer than he meant to.

Arlen drifted toward a cluster of suspended tech frames. Interfaces, signal jammers, cloaking modules, prototype drives stripped down to their skeletons. Some still had diagnostic lights running, patiently waiting for commands that never came.

In the far section, artifacts sat in isolation fields. Not museum-old, but dangerous-old. One of them made the air around it bend just slightly, enough to make Xavier’s eyes ache when he looked at it too long.

"Bull was insane," Rin said under his breath. "And rich."

Xavier didn’t answer. He was already scanning the place differently, not as treasure, but as confirmation. Bull hadn’t been bluffing. Not once. He was indeed one of the most feared space pirates.

’Where are the coordinates of the next treasure?’ Xavier wondered. ’Let’s hope it’s easy to find that doesn’t require me to check all the treasure and fit the piece like a jigsaw puzzle.’

Then, the sound changed.

Xavier turned slowly.

The Graveward Corps had moved in while everyone was distracted, fanning out with clean precision, rifles raised, forming a half-circle that boxed them inside the vault. Barrels locked on targets.

The speakers crackled again, the voice returning, almost pleased.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" it said. "He always had terrible taste in organization, but he knew value."

Arlen’s hand hovered near her weapon. Rin adjusted his stance without thinking. Klatos’s wings tightened against his back.

Xavier just looked at the soldiers. "So this was the plan," he said. "Let me do the thinking, and open the door."

The voice laughed.

"You really thought I’d split this with you?" it said. "You were a tool. A very convenient one. Bull always said someone would come along eventually who could open it. He just didn’t say I’d have to tolerate them afterward."

The Graveward soldiers shifted closer, boots scraping against the vault floor.

"You talk too much," Xavier replied. "That’s usually how people fuck up."

The voice scoffed. "Look at you. Surrounded. Unarmed. You think strength matters here? You think reputation saves you now? The last lot you fought were merely low ranked. These ones are professionals."

It paused, then added, "Bull trusted everyone too easily as well. That’s why he was betrayed."

Something flickered in Xavier’s eyes at that. He took one slow step forward.

"You made one mistake," Xavier said. "You assumed I came here because I wanted the treasure."

The soldiers tensed.

"I came here because Bull wanted someone worthy," Xavier continued. "And people like you always confuse possession with control."

The voice dragged the moment out, enjoying it.

"So what now?" it said, the smugness obvious even through the distortion. "Are you going to stand there and stare? If you hadn’t walked in acting all cocky, I might’ve let you leave alive. Might’ve even given you a share. But arrogance always costs extra."

The Graveward soldiers tightened their formation, boots scraping the vault floor, rifles steady and leveled. The pressure in the room climbed, enough that Arlen felt it in her chest, Rin’s grip tightened around his blade, and Klatos’s wings pulled in close without him realizing it.

Xavier snickered.

It was quiet at first, almost accidental, then he laughed properly, shoulders loosening like the tension meant nothing to him. The sound echoed in the vault, cutting straight through the threat.

The voice snapped, sharp and irritated. "Have you finally lost your mind?"

Xavier wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and spoke calmly. "Five minutes. Maybe less. The Iron Mandate Corps will be here, and when they arrive, they’ll seal this entire sector, inventory everything inside, and claim it under open-territory acquisition."

The voice barked out a laugh. "That’s pathetic. They have no authority here. This isn’t their territory, and it sure as hell isn’t yours. You think dropping a name changes that?"

Xavier nodded once. "That’s the point. This place doesn’t belong to anyone. No charter, no registry, no controlling faction. First claimant files the paperwork, pays the fees, and the territory becomes theirs. The Iron Mandate doesn’t blink at numbers like that. No one claimed this place before because it was useless, and investing here meant loss, but now that a treasure is found, that changes things and interest."

The voice scoffed again, but there was strain under it now. "You’d throw everything away just to spite me? You didn’t even know I was involved until minutes ago. Which is why I know you’re bluffing."

Xavier turned slightly, glancing at the vault interior before looking back up toward the speaker. "I didn’t call them."

That earned a pause.

"They’ve been following and watching me since I entered Helior Prime," Xavier continued. "High-altitude traffic drones masking as weather monitors, a soft scan on the hotel entrance, a relay bounce when we split teams. You don’t see it unless you’re looking for it, but I was. They weren’t following you. They were following me."

Arlen’s eyes flicked toward him, realization setting in. She hadn’t caught it, and that bothered her more than the guns.

"I didn’t invite them," Xavier went on. "I just led them somewhere worth claiming."

The Graveward line shifted again, less confident now, a few helmets turning slightly as if recalculating their odds.

Xavier spread his hands casually. "So go ahead. Shoot me. Take your chances looting this place before someone bigger shows up with legal backing, fleets, and kill authorization. Or stand there and watch someone else decide this vault looks profitable."

He looked straight at the nearest rifle barrel. "It’s your call."