"NO VALUED SLAVE OF MINE IS ALLOWED TO SHOW SO MUCH WEAKNESS! EVERY SLAVE THAT BEARS MY MARK MUST MEET MY STANDARDS, OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THEIR INCOMPETENCE! I HAVE RECOGNIZED YOUR WORTH, LITTLE CREATOR, SO YOU MUST SUSPEND YOUR CRAVEN BEHAVIOR AND DEFEND WHAT LITTLE HONOR AND PRIDE THAT YOU ARE ALLOWED TO POSSESS!"

Ves continued to step back until the alien finished his furious tirade!

"I… am not your slave!"

The clone that was clearly driven by a God King that was located hundreds of thousands of light-years away suddenly swapped his anger with amusement!

"&$#$#$@."

"THAT IS A MORE ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE. NO VALUED SLAVE DESERVES TO HOLD MY APPRECIATION IF HE HAS SURRENDERED TO HIS SUBJUGATION. I WILL ENJOY BREAKING YOUR RESISTANCE ONCE I HAVE RETRIEVED YOU. I EXPECT YOU TO DEFY ME TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY. IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU HAVE NOT SURRENDERED IN FULL."

What kind of sicko was this Subjugation King?! The more Ves listened to the ugly alien speech of this God King, the more he became certain that it would be better for him to commit suicide than let the powerful alien capture him alive.

"So you expect me to fight against you? I can't. The difference in power is too great. Your tribulation manifestation is too strong, and your true comprehension is far too high."

"#$#&$@."

"NOTHING IS FAIR. YOU WILL FIGHT DIRECTLY, OR I WILL BREAK YOUR BODY AND CRUSH THIS ODD BUT INTERESTING SHIP OF YOURS. SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN TRULY DO. PROVE ME RIGHT BY DEMONSTRATING THAT YOU ARE A VALUED SLAVE."

"I… will fight you to the best of my ability, but only if you reply to my questions with truthful, sincere and relevant answers." Ves said as he summoned a lot more courage than he possessed.

It was not easy for him to confront a God King! Even if the alien in question was only able to channel a fraction of his enormous power to this distant location, that was still far more than Ves wanted to confront by himself!

The reason why he suddenly issued this term was because he remained in constant contact with Dread Captain Volkert Argile at this time.

It might not look like it, but he had been using his cranial implant to discreetly relay a transcript of his conversation with the Subjugation King.

That would hopefully get passed on to the tier 1 galactic citizens who most definitely had to be paying attention to this ongoing tribulation event.

Though Ves had taken an awful risk by issuing a request when he was in no position to bargain, the Subjugation King did not grow angry again.

It looked as if he remained amused by the antics of his latest 'pet'.

"&#@$##%@."

"YOU AND YOUR PATHETIC RACE OF PRIMITIVES WISH TO LEARN MY SECRETS IN THE HOPES OF RESISTING MY INEVITABLE SUBJUGATION OF YOUR TINY GALAXY. I ADMIRE YOUR COURAGE, IF NOT YOUR WISDOM. IT IS BETTER FOR YOUR RACE TO RESIST THE INEVITABLE THAN TO SURRENDER WITHOUT A FIGHT. IF GIVING YOUR RACE INFORMATION WILL INSPIRE FALSE HOPE, THEN I AM WILLING TO INDULGE YOU, BUT ONLY BRIEFLY."

That actually worked?!

Ves hadn't actually been sure about this gambit, but he did not expect the Subjugation King to be so arrogant and full of himself that he would actually be willing to supply a few answers!

Of course, the alien God King's willingness to do so only lasted until he wanted to start the next bout.

"Are you the only God King from your native galaxy sent to subjugate our galaxy?"

"@#$#@$&%#."

"THE EMPIRE THAT ILLUMINATES THE COSMOS IS RESPECTED AND FEARED ACROSS OUR GALAXY. NO OTHER KRELION KING WILL VIOLATE MY PREROGATIVE. ONLY A SINGLE KING OF MY STATURE IS ENOUGH TO SUBJUGATE YOUR DIM SEA OF STARS. THE OTHER TRIBES SHOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO DEPRIVE ME OF MY SLAVES. IF THERE ARE ALIEN KINGS WHO ARE UNINTELLIGENT ENOUGH TO CLAIM YOU FOR MYSELF, I SHALL SQUEEZE THE LIFE OUT OF THEIR MISBEGOTTEN SOULS."

That was good news if it was true! Ves knew that a lot of bigshots gained a lot of relief after learning that the Subjugation King likely wasn't accompanied by any other God Kings.

Of course, there was always a chance that the alien powerhouse lied. Ves did not think so. Despite the immense power gap, he still sensed that the Subjugation King truly meant what he said.

That still left open another possibility, though. Another God King may be trying to sneak to the Red Ocean anyway, but he had evidently managed to hide his presence so well that not even the Subjugation King had a clue.

"What are your strengths and weaknesses in combat?"

"#$&@."

"YOU WILL HAVE TO DISCERN THAT FOR YOURSELF WHEN WE ENGAGE IN BATTLE."

Oh well.

Sensing that the Subjugation King's had lost almost all of his patience, Ves quickly asked his remaining questions.

"Are you the strongest leader of your empire, or do you answer to a higher authority?"

A wave of anger erupted from the powerful clone!

Ves took a few more steps back as his mind became disoriented with bright flashes of light!

"#$#$&#@@$%!"

"THE GREAT LIGHTHOUSE SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE! I WAS FATED TO BECOME THE BRILLIANT LORD! IT IS ONLY THROUGH CHANCE AND THE MACHINATIONS OF MY ENEMY THAT I HAVE STUMBLED ON THE CUSP OF VICTORY! 11:41

ANOTHER OF MY KIND MAY HAVE CONQUERED THE GREAT LIGHTHOUSE, BUT I SHALL CHALLENGE IT ONCE AGAIN ONCE I HAVE REDEEMED MYSELF. YOUR PITIFUL GALAXY IS TOO SMALL FOR MY LIKING, BUT IT CONTAINS UNIQUE RESOURCES AND INTERESTING SLAVES THAT MAY PROVE USEFUL IN MY NEXT ATTEMPT. YOU ARE DESTINED TO BECOME A SMALL PART IN A GREAT PLAN TO SUBJUGATE MY GALAXY!"

This alien was a complete megalomaniac! It was difficult to determine his place on Messier 87's totem pole, but Ves guessed that he was actually blowharding to an extent. The Subjugation King had to be subordinate to a more powerful leader, or else he wouldn't have been assigned to this chore.

Nevertheless, that still did not provide much comfort to Ves. If the Subjugation King did not completely fabricate his story, he must have been a candidate for ascending to the highest seat of his empire.

The fact that he almost managed to claim it meant that he probably ranked closer to the top.

The fact that he ultimately failed and left in disgrace meant that there was an even stronger krelion God King!

There might even be a possibility that the true leader of the Krelion Empire had reached the 5th major cultivation rank!

In any case, Ves was supposed to ask another probing question at this time, but the clone made a cutting gesture that was easy to interpret.

"#$#$&$%!"

"SILENT, SLAVE! I EXPECT YOU TO FIGHT RATHER THAN TO ENGAGE IN DISCOURSE. PROVE YOUR WORTH AS MY POSSESSION AND I MAY GRANT LENIENCY TO YOU WHEN I HAVE ARRIVED TO SUBJUGATE YOUR ENTIRE RACE. THE PUNISHMENT FOR FAILURE IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THIS ENTIRE SHIP AND THE ELIMINATION OF ALL MORTALS INSIDE."

Ves felt a lot more nervous at the thought of engaging in direct combat against an enemy whose cultivation was far superior to his own!

"How is this fight fair?! You are too powerful and too proficient in manipulating energy to give me a realistic chance at winning!"

The krelian God King directed a feeling of contempt towards Ves.

"$#&$#@&$#."

"IF YOU AND YOUR MORTAL MINIONS FIGHT AS YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY DONE, THEN IT IS TRUE THAT VICTORY SHALL REMAIN OUT OF YOUR REACH. YOU MUST HOLD NOTHING BACK, BUT EVEN THAT IS NOT SUFFICIENT. YOU MUST COMBINE YOUR EXISTING ADVANTAGES AND SUMMON THE STRENGTH TO DEFEAT THIS LESSER IMITATION OF MINE IN OPEN COMBAT. PASS MY CHALLENGE, AND YOU WILL BE RICHLY REWARDED."

Ves could easily believe that. The tribulation storm may have bent to the Subjugation King's demands, but that had already provoked a counter response. It should be impossible for the heavenly authorities to remain ignorant of this hijacking. The least they could do was to offer greater compensation in return.

"I… will fight you, but not because I want to prove that I am your valued slave. I will fight because you are an enemy of the human race. That is all. I will never accept the authority of an alien such as yourself while red humanity stands!"