A scholar hurriedly rushed into the command center, blurting out immediately, "The detection results are out! There really is an ultra-high energy response in that region."
He still couldn't quite believe the data, but since it had appeared right before his eyes, disbelief was no longer an option.
Such an immense energy signature was actually hidden right under their noses, and yet it remained completely concealed until now.
Had it not been for Sora's earlier words, none of them would have even imagined this possibility.
"Moreover, if the energy in this region fully detonates, it could potentially devour everything within dozens of light-years around," the scholar delivered this earth-shattering revelation.
"Dozens of light-years?" Jobs found this utterly inconceivable. Yet the scholar quickly nodded, confirming the data: "Dozens of light-years is only the most conservative estimate."
Which meant, in reality, the scale of potential devastation could be even greater.
"My god," Jobs gasped softly.
He had faced plenty of storms in his lifetime, even witnessing galaxy-scale conflicts that swept through hundreds of light-years—but even those massive wars didn't involve weapons capable of instantly obliterating a Ten-Level Tyrant.
And this was just the lowest possible estimate. The true destructive potential lurking within that star system could be unimaginably larger.
After the initial shock, a thread of relief surfaced within him. "Thank goodness we found out early enough. Otherwise, the consequences might've been unimaginable."
As he thought this, Jobs unconsciously turned his gaze to the figure ahead—the one currently engrossed in tactical discussions, Sora.
It was all thanks to him. Otherwise, they would've been too late, and the situation would spiral into irreparable disaster.
Huh? Why am I suddenly thinking about irreparable disaster? Jobs felt an inexplicable sense of incongruity bubble up within him, but quickly brushed the feeling aside.
Yet Jobs wasn't alone. Everyone entangled with Fate in this place felt that same inexplicable sense.
Among them, Titania felt it the strongest.
Currently deep in thought during the tactical discussions, she subconsciously pressed her lips together.
Why does it feel like I should be drinking or eating something at this moment?
Wait, that's not right! As a god, surely I wouldn't succumb to such mundane cravings…
Then what was this bizarre sensation she was feeling?
"Titania? Titania!" The sudden call snapped her back to attention.
Only then did she realize everyone's gazes were fixed upon her.
"About the matter Sora just mentioned—can you manage it?"
This abrupt question left Titania momentarily bewildered, as she hadn't been paying attention at all.
Earlier, Dragreder had successfully traveled through a crystal tunnel created by Titania, prompting Sora to devise a plan utilizing this capability.
"Hmph! Of course, it's extremely simple for me. There's no task beyond my capabilities!"
Even without hearing the plan's specifics, Titania confidently replied.
Ridiculous. She was a god—what could possibly be impossible for a deity?
"Seeing Miss Titania so confident puts me at ease," Robin smiled lightly, though the smile somehow felt mysterious. "Covering that entire star system in mirrors is actually a simple task for Miss Titania."
Titania instantly blanked out upon hearing this.
"Wha—wait, wait!" Titania felt something wasn't quite right. "Cover what range, exactly?"
An entire star system? If Tartaro, saturated with her divine power, had been nearby, perhaps she could manage it.
But Tartaro was far away from here! Her energy output was severely limited right now!
Hotaru chimed in, "If we can fully cover that star system, we'll resolve this crisis quickly."
Titania immediately glanced at the projected star system in front of her.
Seeing its size, her eye twitched involuntarily.
"Ah… Th-this… I… uh…" Titania stammered. The scope was definitely problematic.
But since she'd already spoken, retracting her words now felt inappropriate.
"What's wrong? Could it be that Miss Titania is feeling troubled by this?" Robin's voice quickly pierced her thoughts.
"No! It's merely a mirror of this trivial scale—I'll effortlessly handle it!"
Having spoken so boldly, she couldn't easily retract her words. Yet Titania couldn't help but stare suspiciously at Robin.
Why did it feel like Robin held some subtle hostility toward her?
Titania certainly recognized Robin. After all, when she had unveiled her Reverse Rain to gaze upon all of Zieltworth, Robin was naturally among those she'd observed.
But… Titania didn't recall ever directly meeting her before.
Then why did it seem like Robin bore an inexplicable grudge?
Titania couldn't quite grasp it, nor could she identify the origin of this odd animosity.
But anyway, pondering this now was meaningless. More urgently, she wanted something to eat or drink.
"Don't overdo it. Just do what you reasonably can," Sora interjected gently. He felt Titania was putting on airs, but he lacked concrete proof, so he simply issued this mild reminder.
He then proceeded to share all the information he'd gathered.
After finalizing all details, the entire camp immediately stirred into action.
"So, when exactly do we move?" Hotaru was curious. Sora had outlined preparations, but he hadn't given a precise time.
"We'll act upon my signal…" Sora took full responsibility because now it was time to wait—wait for the sign representing that very moment.
The sign he'd seen upon waking earlier—the news headlines.
Time trickled steadily by, the entire camp bustling with activity.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Sora briefly rested, until familiar alerts finally flashed before his eyes once again.
—[Galactic Daily Reminder: Travelers, please avoid the 'Straton II' star system in the near future. Annihilation Legion presence has been detected. Corporation reinforcements are already en route…]
—[Xianzhou Alliance Broadcast: Due to the blessings of the 'Plaguemark,' the Fenault system faces imminent invasion by the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Establish defense lines promptly.]
Sora gazed at the news flickering before him, recalling the last time he'd seen it—when an attack abruptly woke him.
Now he finally glimpsed it a second time.
These announcements signified one thing clearly: the enemy would attack in less than an hour.
"A giant target detected by starfield scanners!" Next came the urgent warning.
The hologram appeared. A colossal figure adorned with dim golden patterns was gradually pushing a massive sphere, slowly approaching them.
"High-energy object relocation—completed!"
"Simulated targets—deployment complete!"
One after another, reports poured in, each finally converging into a single definitive sentence.
"All preparations are complete!"
"Then let the plan commence!" Sora rose from his seat, announcing the beginning.
...
Afterglow Swarm King had a lingering feeling it was performing familiar actions—though admittedly, it performed these same tasks every single day.
Spitting out a substance capable of isolating a star's heat and radiation, then pushing it toward its combat destination.
Having repeated these actions thousands, even tens of thousands of times, familiarity couldn't be overstated.
Thus, the subtle sense of unease was quickly brushed aside. Its primary focus now was the nest of ants lying ahead.
With great speed, it pushed this newfound star to its ammunition storage location.
But soon, it sensed something wrong about these stars.
[Their size seems smaller as well.]
[Was this supergiant always so small? It feels significantly reduced.]
Afterglow Swarm King was puzzled.
Perhaps it was just because the newly discovered star was so enormous that it made the others appear smaller by contrast.
After shaking off its confusion, its eyes locked onto the distant encampment, a few star systems away.
That was the nest of those ants!
It expanded its massive body, wrapping itself around the collected 'stars.'
Powerful insect limbs began tapping at the stars' outer shells.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
With each strike, the shells fractured, releasing waves of energy like molten lava, swiftly absorbed by Afterglow Swarm King's outer body.
Its body began radiating brilliant starlike luminance; the golden patterns etched on its shell shimmered with heightened intensity.
Once its strength accumulated to a critical point, Afterglow Swarm King opened its colossal mouth—
[STELLAR RAY TORRENT!]
A searing golden beam erupted from its jaws, blazing forward through space, leaving a scorching trail behind—vaporizing everything in its path.
Eventually, the beam pierced straight through the distant ant nest, passing cleanly through without resistance.
Huh?!
Afterglow Swarm King's insectoid eyes widened in disbelief.
Indeed, the temporary encampment several star systems away dissipated into countless azure particles, vanishing completely.
"Optical camouflage projection destroyed! Virtual projection disengaged!"
Urgent warnings echoed in everyone's ears, yet relief flooded their hearts.
Thankfully, they had retreated earlier. Otherwise, their fate would likely have mirrored those projection devices—reduced instantly to molten slag.
Their relief contrasted sharply with the confusion swirling within Afterglow Swarm King. It stared incredulously at the empty region where the camp once stood.
But soon, it sensed something deeply wrong about its surroundings.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Urgent alarms erupted from every direction. After quickly scanning the area, Afterglow Swarm King finally turned its gaze toward the stars it had gathered.
Why were these stars suddenly beeping?
Curiously drawing closer, it was promptly engulfed by blinding brilliance.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Successive bursts of dazzling light illuminated the pitch-black cosmos. Imaginary fluctuations rippled alongside explosive photon blooms; freezing and scorching energies violently alternated.
"We did it!" Mitsutake clenched his fists tightly. "Those bombs contain enough firepower to annihilate entire planets. Taste it thoroughly!"
They had replaced the real stars with explosives beforehand, each device layered in destructive potential, easily capable of obliterating several planets.
Surely the Afterglow Swarm King must've felt that one!
As the dust gradually cleared, revealing the Afterglow Swarm King amidst the aftermath, however, everyone's eyes widened in shock.
"H-How is this possible?!"
Other than a few shallow cracks and charred marks on its outer shell, the Afterglow Swarm King remained largely unchanged.
These human weapons only managed to scratch a mere Propagation Emanator?
The vast chasm between humans and an Emanator was brutally exposed at this moment.
Once again, Afterglow Swarm King began emitting light.
[I feel wonderful right now.]
Even humanity's strongest attacks barely scratched its defenses, dealing no substantial damage.
[Impressive, commendable indeed. But mere ants has limits to their wisdom… Wait, no!]
Revitalized, Afterglow Swarm King basked in delight until it glanced around. Instantly, its mood plummeted.
Empty. Empty. Still empty.
The massive explosions had obliterated everything nearby—not just floating asteroids, but even its precious—
Frantically, it searched through space like mad, finding nothing at all.
"Looking for these?" A voice suddenly rang out. Afterglow Swarm King instantly turned toward the sound.
Within a mirrored expanse of stars floated dark, black spheres, quietly suspended in space.
Spotting them, Afterglow Swarm King furiously flapped its wings, diving straight toward them.
Sora snapped his fingers. Titania promptly withdrew her power.
The reflected starlit space vanished, leaving Afterglow Swarm King lunging at nothing.
"I absolutely won't let you reclaim these stars," Sora stated coldly. "If you get hold of them, countless innocent lives will be lost."
Upon hearing this, Afterglow Swarm King roared furiously—
[You thieving insect! Return my stars immediately! Do you know how painstakingly I brought them here?!]
Afterglow Swarm King bellowed with rage as Sora calmly closed a blazing card.
'[SURVIVE!]'
♪We're all given one life, and that's the one chance we get♪
♪To triumph over who I am, I'm taking a journey of my soul♪
♪The power of life within me is all the weapon I need♪
♪Even if I'm lonely, as many times as it takes, I'll get stronger♪
Countless fragments shed from Dragreder's body, flames cloaking its form as it appeared. The massive circular shield grasped firmly in its claws amplified its ferocity.
'[SWORD VENT]'
A curved blade descended into Sora's hands. As he clenched it, flames enveloped the sword, elongating rapidly.
"Come, let us have a fair fight."
Afterglow Swarm King stared speechlessly at Sora and Dragreder. An uncontrollable phrase echoed endlessly within its heart:
[NMD, WHY?!] (FUCK YOUR MOTHER, WHY?!)
How in the world could you possibly call this fair?!