"This guy is stalling for time as well… what exactly is his goal?"
Although Roya had not yet deduced the true purpose behind this old coin of a Star Dragon pouring out his grievances and recounting his tragic past, he had nevertheless thought of a way to restrain him.
Donquixote Doflamingo's signature move—the Birdcage!
That sinister man who had once brought Roya a measure of trouble… if he knew that Roya would one day borrow his technique to deal with an enemy, he could probably rest with a smile in the afterlife.
The only difference was that Doflamingo's Birdcage had been woven with the power of his String-String Fruit, whereas Roya's Birdcage would be formed entirely out of his spiritual sense.
In terms of toughness and every other attribute, it was a qualitative leap.
With a single thought, Roya's previously retracted spiritual sense quietly dispersed into countless nearly imperceptible threads, weaving densely through the surrounding space.
But instead of directly ensnaring the Star Dragon, Roya inverted the tactic—he wrapped all the spirit projections that might be swept up in the range of a subspace storm inside small individual Birdcages of spiritual threads.
In this way, not only could he avoid alerting the old coin to anything amiss, but he could also shield the weaker spirit projections who had no power to withstand a subspace storm.
This way, even if he had to turn on the Star Dragon immediately, there would be no more need to hold back. He could strike with full force.
After he finished laying his preparations, the Star Dragon was still droning on, endlessly criticizing Silent and berating his fellow kin.
Roya no longer bothered with pleasantries. He tightened the threads of spiritual sense, the Birdcage took shape, and from the very outermost perimeter it closed in on the Star Dragon!
And the Star Dragon, oblivious, was still spouting off—boasting of grinding the Necrons into dust and other such empty threats.
But Roya did not relax in the slightest. On the contrary, his vigilance only sharpened.
Because Roya knew one truth well: the most cunning hunters often appear before you in the guise of prey!
If what this old coin claimed was true—that he and his so-called Star God kin were born alongside the universe itself—
Then just how many schemes, betrayals, and intrigues had he witnessed across that near-eternal existence?
How could such an ancient being possibly be so naïve, so benevolent, as to discuss missions and rewards with Roya in earnest?
Don't forget—the very cracks threatening to utterly obliterate his body had been gifts from his own brothers!
To believe in trust or alliances forged by "common enemies"?
Impossible.
In the Star Dragon's eyes, Roya was no different from an ant!
It was only because Roya had grown strong enough to threaten this heavily wounded, yet unrecovered being, that the old coin feigned foolishness, played games, and muddled the truth.
In the end, it was all to create an illusion that would lull Roya into complacency, giving him the perfect opening to strike down Roya in one blow!
So while Roya continued binding the Birdcage tighter and tighter around the Star Dragon, he also split off part of his spiritual sense to scan himself meticulously.
From the way this old coin had managed to hide within Roya's spiritual sense domain earlier without being detected, it was clear he could just as easily plant hidden spiritual traps right by Roya's side.
Against such a schemer, one could never be too cautious.
And Roya's vigilance soon paid off.
At some point, the area around his spirit projection had been filled with obscure spiritual energy.
These energies had even disguised themselves as ordinary subspace energy, clinging to his projection so seamlessly that they were indistinguishable from the subspace power he had already branded and assimilated!
If not for the uniquely sharp perception of his spiritual sense, Roya might never have been able to tell them apart!
By the time Roya noticed, this layer of "camouflaged" subspace energy had almost completed its encirclement, just about to wrap his entire projection inside!
"How dare you!"
Roya's fury erupted. From the one remaining gap, his spiritual threads burst outward in a flare, instantly enclosing his spirit projection in protective layers.
The Star Dragon immediately sensed it—between his spiritual energy and Roya's spirit projection, a strange, faintly tangible barrier had appeared.
The peculiar feedback from this resistance made the Star Dragon deeply uncertain.
On one hand, he desperately wanted to finish the encirclement and swallow the youthful yet extraordinary projection before him.
Because within that projection flowed golden threads that made him salivate with desire.
His instincts screamed at him: if he could devour this spirit projection and fully digest those golden threads, he could completely overturn his grievous wounds—not merely clinging to life, but truly regaining his former power!
And yet… hundreds of thousands of years of relentless caution had been etched into every particle of his being.
At the slightest trace of risk, he would never act rashly.
It was precisely that caution that had allowed him to survive both the Necron rebellion and the Star God civil wars, outliving most of his kin.
To eat, or not to eat—that single choice now tormented him, pulling his reason apart.
Then suddenly, he sensed that same strange energy surrounding his own body. By the time he realized it, it was already too late!
Roya felt the Star Dragon's sudden panic and knew his Birdcage had been discovered. Without hesitation, he gave the order—attack!
Layer upon layer, countless spiritual threads of the Birdcage contracted inward, pressing and compressing.
The Star Dragon's massive body was instantly bound tight!
At last, the old coin showed his fear. His form convulsed and twisted violently in a desperate struggle.
At the same time, the obscure spiritual energy he had planted around Roya erupted all at once!
Two violent subspace storms detonated simultaneously—one around Roya's spirit projection, the other inside the Star Dragon himself!
But this time, Roya had been prepared!
The threads of his spiritual sense revealed an unparalleled toughness and elasticity. Amidst the storm, they vibrated endlessly—each tremor tugging just the right amount of subspace energy to clash head-on with the storm.
Wave after wave of collisions created a miraculous equilibrium.
In mere moments, what should have spread outward in catastrophic chain reactions instead calmed and dissipated on both fronts.
The affected area was minimal, and the other spirit projections—shielded within their own miniature Birdcages—remained perfectly safe.
When the storm subsided, Roya's spirit projection was completely unharmed.
The Star Dragon's spirit, meanwhile, was still firmly ensnared within Roya's layers upon layers of threads.
No matter how he writhed or struggled, there was no escape!
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