Infinite Evolution: My Idle Evolution System-Chapter 403: Aurora Eldrine, The Dissonant Mothership

"Child," the starry woman began as she descended to where Cassius and the grumbling girls in his party were standing. "Before asking me that, don't you think you should inquire as to who I am first?"

"Doesn't matter," replied Cassius, his tone as cold as ice. "Whether your name starts with a P or a B, if you stand against me, you'll die all the same. But you tell me: are you an enemy or a foe?"

The starry woman froze in place before revealing an amused smile. She took step after step in his direction, causing a starry force to ripple out beneath her soles.

"Even if you say that, I'll tell you my name anyway. This will also answer your question."

OOOM!

All of space and time felt as if it would shatter into oblivion underneath the immensity of her presence.

"Aurora Eldrine is what I'm called," she announced, urging forth a tsunami of starry energy that rushed toward Cassius. "I am one of the Original 108 Dryads from the 1st Generation, and I am a former Princess of Yggdrasil's Royal City. And I am also… the Master of the one who gave birth to you."

"!?!?"

'This woman is my mother's Master!??'

Cassius had been prepared to fight since the moment he stepped foot into this unknown domain, but right now, he was stunned into silence.

"But what I didn't expect," Aurora said as she tipped his chin up with her milky-way-like index nail, "was for that kind-hearted disciple of mine to give birth to such a fierce man soaked in the blood of countless. What a twist of events, indeed."

"This woman…" Zara muttered, her face shrouded in dark lines. "Does she seek death…?"

Maxy and Exisia were also not looking too good right now, with Maxy already on the verge of striking out.

Then there was Yimin…

"Stop it," Cassius ordered as he pushed away Yimin's sharp claws, stopping the advance of her attacks just a few inches before they touched Aurora's head. "Quit trying to kill every woman you see near me."

"B… But Master," Yimin's eyes watered, a vast contrast to the deep red they were while she was gunning for the kill.

"No buts."

Yimin whimpered. And as she walked away from her Master and the eyesore of a bitch, she flashed one last dangerous look at Aurora before stomping her feet and returning to Maxy, Raijin, and the others.

Cassius then erected a barrier meant to prevent them from prying into a conversation that was best kept as private as possible.

"Hmm~?" Aurora giggled like a succubus, tugging a little on his collar to pull his face close to hers. "We've just met for the first time and you're already thinking you can protect me, huh? A bold one you are, Cassius Steele."

Blurring at an inconceivable speed, Cassius put some distance between her and himself. Only then did he reply, "You made me curious, and now I want answers. Don't think too much into it."

Aurora alluringly licked her lips. "Direct and straight to the point. I like a man who knows what he wants."

Cassius gave no response.

"Fine, fine, you're no fun," Aurora blew fake air, then turned serious. "I believe in Fate, and even if you're a Fateless, I'd like to think our meeting here is Destiny. Out of all the Branches of Yggdrasil you could've gone to, you traveled to one of the most barren ones—the one I was banished to long ago. Wouldn't you consider this destiny as well?"

'Banished?'

Aurora took strides toward him once more, admiring his perfect form from head to toe, utterly unable to see into his true depths. "I know what you're thinking, but I wasn't banished because of my unrivaled level of beauty and grace. It's sweet of you to think so, though."

"???"

'This woman gets sidetracked very easily…'

Aurora slightly pouted. "Are you thinking something mean about this beautiful young maiden before you?"

Silence…

"Jeez, okay, playing hard to get, I see," Aurora said as her lustful body jiggled unrealistically. "But you need to stop playing around now; let's get back to the matter of why I called you here."

"...."

Giggling mischievously, much unlike the ancient master-like demeanor she originally had, Aurora put a finger up to her chin. "First, let us go over why your gorgeous big sister was banished by those old bastards in the first place."

'Big sister…?'

Cassius was then forced to endure a very long and very narcissistic monologue by the Master of his Mother…

— Meanwhile, within the Dissonant Mothership deep in the Void outside the Ascension Tower—

Eerie sounds that came out like the beating heartbeat of an alien machine reverberated within an endlessly large space. In this space, at the very center of an abyss of darkness, there existed a metallic sphere. It emanated a red glow and was what made the rumbling sounds.

Floating below this sphere was a human-sized figure. However, compared to the sheer size of the sphere, this figure looked to be no more than a speck of dust.

"Mother," the figure began to speak, with his voice producing a warm green light that illuminated the area, revealing his monstrous appearance. "The moment we have been waiting for fastly approaches. We predict that in less than a few weeks, we'll be able to send our main forces into the crack that will tear open at the highest levels of the Artifact."

THRUM! THRUM! THRUM!!

The beating drum sounds of the metallic sphere grew louder and louder, with the red glow expanding further out. Lines were carved all around this sphere and served as the source of this red glow. And as the glow worsened, so too did the size of these lines.

Soon, the lines reached a point where they started to fold outward like the highly advanced technology of a transforming robot.

As the lines folded over onto each other, what looked to be a face showed itself.

It was menacing enough to strike fear in the hearts of many, and right now, it and its jagged curvature were staring down the tiny figure kneeling before it.

"You know the cost of failure," it stated in a tone bereft of emotion. "Do not repeat what happened during the first test invasion."

"!!!"