The place turned silent.
Little mortal looked towards the outer sect city,
"Ronnie, come here."
A black dot appeared far in the horizon in the sky of Outer Sect City, and started flying towards them.
The crowd turned to see who was coming.
A man with black metallic skin, shirtless, and a bald head, was on his way.
The closer he got to them, the higher people's heartbeat became!
When he landed on the platform, the entire silver platform trembled beneath his feet.
The Immortal manager was speechless!
Now she understood why he was so sure about his win!
One was himself, and another was this man, whom she could only send the body refinement immortal to challenge. However, just a glance at this man's body made any other man who thought they were muscular feel absolute despair.
From head to toe, full of muscle,
And not any muscle, the kind that looks like a master sculptor carved it!
Every muscle fiber in every muscle was completely visible to the eyes!
As if there was no skin covering his muscles!
Thick veins all over the muscles like rivers!
His muscle mass wasn't even measurable!
You could only say he was the definition of 'huge'!
And all of that aside, when he got closer to them, they felt something was being sucked away from their bodies!
The Immortal scholar asked in shock,
"What is he sucking away from our body?"
The body refinement expert, with eyes shining from amazement, said,
"If I weren't seeing it with my own eyes, I would never believe it...
But this man's body fat is negative!
That is an impossible task!
It's defying the law of nature!
That's why any fat source in the environment around him is going to him willingly, to fix this flaw that shouldn't exist in the first place!"
Little mortal pointed at him and said to the guardian token,
"I want to use him to challenge them in a bodybuilding competition.
With negative 3% body fat, he is basically unbeatable.
Is that fine?
I don't want another strike..."
The crowd knew without telling that the side of the immortal planet was a losing side already!
The Immortal manager tried to search her memories to see if the creatures from her side weren't missing,
Was there anyone who could compete with this man?
But the answer was, 'none'!
What even was this monster?
Just standing there was enough for any man to admire him for days!
But the guardian token surprised everyone again,
[ The blood of the challenger doesn't belong to this universe.
Using him on this bet will be your second 'strike'.]
The people from the Immortal Planet wanted to laugh, but when they saw the old manager and scholar's face was losing color, they felt something was wrong here...
Little mortal nodded and pointed at the scholar,
"Alright, what about the third challenge?
I told him a math question to use as a challenge."
[ The knowledge belongs to another universe, which will be your third 'strike', and you will be disqualified.]
Little mortal nodded again and said,
"Alright then, cancel the bet."
[Guardian mortal's request for canceling the bet has been approved.]
The crowd now felt that something was really wrong here!
Why did he suddenly cancel the bet?
They felt a heavy feeling of death that made their hair stand on end!
Especially for the Immortal manager!
She started shivering for no reason!
She just randomly felt that today was the last day of her life!
And every second, the feeling was getting more and more real!
She hastily said,
"Guardian mortal, let's just continue, we can -"
But little mortal interrupted her,
"Be quiet."
The Immortal manager was now even more scared!
The little polite boy was completely gone!
Little mortal walked to the scholar and said,
"Say goodbye to your senior."
Scholar asked with a pale face,
"What's going on, guardian mortal?
Let's talk about it, we can find a way to -"
But he suddenly lost control over his body and couldn't talk anymore!
Little mortal walked to the old manager next,
"Say goodbye to your colleague."
And changed direction to his backpack while saying,
"I request to use the second way of betting with the immortal planet."
By now, everyone understood what this second way was going to be without him saying it!
He was telling them to 'say goodbye', and that means only one thing!
Death!
He was just going to kill everybody!
They wanted to run, but found out they couldn't even move!
Even the Immortal manager wasn't spared!
The crowd started sweating profusely with each step The little boy got closer to his backpack!
What is he going to do?
The guardian token commented,
[ The second way of bet between guardians, total annihilation of the opposite side, has been approved.]
At this moment, Little Mortal was beside his backpack and drew out the sword from the wooden stick.
Just looking at the little demon with a blade in hand made them feel it was the Grim Reaper himself who descended to their world!
They didn't even have the ability to surrender!
The guardian token suddenly flew in front of him and forced the little demon, who was walking back to them, probably for execution, to stop in his tracks!
He coldly looked at the guardian token,
"Do you want me to cut you down before them?"
The guardian token shivered, but didn't move!
[ The second way, total annihilation, gives a chance for the opposite side to surrender.
If the guardian who chooses this way of challenge doesn't give the opponent any chance to surrender, he will be disqualified.]
Little Mortal smiled 'kindly' to the people who were looking at him fearfully, and didn't have any control over their bodies, and said,
"Feel free to ask them."
The crowd wanted to surrender, but how?
They couldn't even talk!
But the guardian token acted as their savior angel again,
[If the Planet Guardian prevents the other side from speaking, he will be disqualified.]
Little mortal snorted coldly and looked away,
"Alright, alright..."
At this moment, the Immortal manager felt she was back to normal and, without hesitation, said,
"We surrender, guardian mortal!
We surrender!
You are the guardian of both planets!"
The moment she said that, Little Mortal started laughing!
He even rolled on the ground and pointed at them,
"You guys are so easy to scare!
I was joking with you!"
The heavy feeling of 'death' disappeared!
The feeling of 'last day of life' for the Immortal manager disappeared too!
She looked at her old friend,
And saw him looking away, as if he didn't want to make eye contact with her!
The Immortal scholar looked at his junior, who was smiling apologetically at him!
The rest of them felt betrayed!
Were these people together in this horror show?
The Old manager coughed in embarrassment and said,
"Fellow Daoist mortal told me that he needs to finish this part of his plan as fast as possible,
And because different accidents could delay it, he came up with a faster way as a backup plan..."
The Immortal manager was at a loss for words, and so were the rest of the people who almost had a heart attack!
Just what was this kid?
Who cares if he scares them into surrendering?
The important thing was that he took over their bodies completely!
Was that some evil technique, or did it have something to do with the guardian position?
And did they need to make it a horror show?
Little mortal went to the Immortal manager's side and patted her hand,
"Don't be mad, young lady!
I'll make you the senior manager later instead of this lazy old man, how about that!"
The Immortal manager snorted, but seemed to be a little less mad at him.
Now it was the old manager's turn to feel betrayed...
He sighed and said,
"Fellow daoist mortal, you already abandoned me..."
Little mortal ran to him and kicked him again,
"Don't pretend!
I know you like to be lazy!
Now don't bother me, we need to be fast,
That sneaky guy definitely knows what's going on here by now!"
The old manager looked away.
It seems he was exposed already...
"Mr. Token, why is there no reaction now that I am the guardian of the strongest planet?"
[Because the ceremony is on pause.
After the guardian ceremony ends, all the functions for you will be unlocked as the solar system guardian.]
"What do you mean by after?
I want it now!"
[ The ceremony needs to be done or-.]
Little mortal caught the token and started squashing it, while whispering to it,
"Or what?
Listen to me, little token!
Now is not the time for your stupid paperwork!
We are already exposed!
If that guy comes personally, only with the title of Solar System Guardian, I can keep us safe!
Do you... Understand?"
[ Due to an emergency situation, the solar system guardian position will be given to guardian mortal temporarily...
You have access to all of the related functions.]
"Good.
Now use the teleport function and open a path for my special members to come here.
You said I can summon them after I become the guardian."
[ Affirmative.]
Circles began opening up to places with special forces members who seemed to be waiting for this to happen, and they walked in.
Little mortal ran to them one by one and welcomed them.
The first passage opened to a desert area.
"Oh, Jax!
Wait, no, it's you, Mr. Blacksmith!
Can you stop pretending to be someone else?
Come in."
The second brother walked in while deactivating the silver hand that he was showing off to his people.
After that was the third sister's turn,
"Well, well, well...
Look how disappointed you are, princess Xena!
But it's too late now, you can't stop me!
I'm already the guardian!"
The third sister, who was speechless that even her name was exposed, smiled bitterly and walked in,
"Guardian mortal, please don't joke with me, who even had the ability to stop you in this vast universe..."
Little mortal puffed his chest,
"You're right about that!
Come on in now, we are going to begin."
The Immortal manager noted that there is someone who already knew about all of this, called 'princess Xena', and looked at the old manager.
He shook his head and said,
"She suddenly showed up on my side out of nowhere around 2000 years ago.
But she was friendly and I just let her be for no reason...
I was probably under the influence at that time, too; that's why I didn't do anything to her.
Our little guardian keeps calling her an illegal immigrant,
This was the first time calling her by name."
Scholar said,
"Third sister isn't from our universe, but she is one of the special force members already, so she is one of us. "
Indirectly, he told them there is no need to be wary of her.
The two of them nodded when he said that.
The immortal scholar asked,
"By the way, what was the challenge the two of us were supposed to compete in?"
Scholar smiled,
"It was a math question.
What is the 12th perfect number?"
"What is a perfect number?"
"A perfect number is a positive integer that is equal to the sum of its positive proper divisors, that is, divisors excluding the number itself. For instance, 6 has proper divisors 1, 2, and 3, and 1 + 2 + 3 = 6, so 6 is a perfect number."
"That's easy.
The following perfect number is 28, since 1 + 2 + 4 + 7 + 14 = 28.
Let me calculate what the 12th number is. "
Little mortal who heard the conversation laughed mockingly,
"If you find it by tonight, I will give you the guardian position with both hands.
And you can even ask for help from anyone you want, except the scholar on my team. "
Scholar smiled bitterly.
He, as the competitor, already knew the answer.
It was,
[ 14474011154664524427946373126085988481573677491474835889066354349131199152128. ]
But, Immortal scholar who didn't know, start calculating...
Another passage opened.
The Imperial family was on the other side,
"Uncle, auntie!
You light up our place with your presence!
Come in, please!"
The old couple in imperial robes walked in shyly,
Patted his head with a trembling hand, which had nothing to do with their age, and congratulated him.
They walked to the two managers after that to show respect.
Then the Emperor and Empress entered with their son.
"Your majesty, sister-in-law, and little nephew, right on time!
Let me guide you to your place!"
Little Fred cupped his hand and bowed obediently,
"Greetings, great uncle!"
The Empress, still acting, that was probably going to continue forever, said happily,
"Big brother, you finally did it!"
Little mortal smiled, then rolled his eyes at her shadow!
He stretched his hand inside the shadow and dragged a person out who, until now, no one had felt her presence.
"Little Scarlet, you are really something!
Trying to play hide and seek with the best hide-and-seek player in the multiverse?!
And not once, but twice !?"
And shook his head.
Scarlet coughed in embarrassment and said,
"I was just trying my new concealment skill..."
Little mortal was even more speechless...
"I didn't even feel the difference!"
But the rest of the people, except the two managers, were indeed amazed by this lady's skill!
None of them knew she was hiding in the Empress's shadow!
The Emperor walked in,
"Big brother, it was a long journey, but we are finally at the finish line ..."
Immortal Manager wondered if there was something wrong with this family...
There was an uncle, an auntie, a nephew, and so on...
How could they be this Little Alien's family?
But the Old Manager whispered to her,
"Different people, choose different paths of survival..."
Immortal Manager didn't completely understand what he meant, but she could make some guesses.
Fourth Brother and Old Seven walked in after the Emperor.
"Mr. Fourth, Old Seven, you are here.
Go over there, your former cellmates are over there."
The two, who knew what he meant by cellmates,
chuckled and joined the others.
After that, a passage to Rose's location opened.
Her parents, Lady Butterfly and Little Peanut, along with Snow White, were also there.
"Assistant Rose!"
Rose walked in,
"Boss, congratulations!"
Maybe she was the only one who was genuinely happy for him and believed he wasn't lying about the Guardian title.
Little Mortal held her hand and said,
"Without you, it wouldn't have been that easy!"
The Old Manager whispered,
"Be careful of this girl,
She has a special place in this Little boy's head!"
Immortal Manager noted that.
When Lady Butterfly walked in, Little Mortal nodded with a blank look and said in an emotionless tone,
"Lady Butterfly."
Lady Butterfly shook her head,
"Sect Master, can you stop joking with this old lady?
And I hope you didn't forget about your promise about my parents!"
"I never joke, old rival.
And I never forget my promises!"
Even though looking serious,
The corner of his mouth was twitching as if he was trying to stop himself from laughing!
Lady Butterfly could only walk in while speechless.
You never joke?
Isn't that exactly opposite?
Little Mortal then went to the Sect Master couple and shouted,
"Teacher, Teacher, you don't believe it!
I found someone like you!"
Snow Goddess raised an eyebrow and walked in with Sword God.
The moment she saw Ice Queen from Immortal Planet, she ran to her,
"Master!"
The old lady with white hair and eyes stood up and hugged her,
"Look at you, still like a child!"
Little Mortal was speechless; he turned to Sword God,
"That's our Stronghold Chief for you...
She didn't even say congratulations!
Anyway...
How have you been, Mr. Not So Lucky to Be My Teacher?"
Sword God didn't know what to say!
Was that his new name?
But Little Peanut came to his rescue,
"What's up, Boss!"
Little Mortal looked at him with eyes wide open,
"What in the world do you mean, boss!
It's Guardian now!"
Little Peanut was taken aback but said the next moment,
"What's up, Guardian Boss!"
Little Mortal shook his head like a senior,
"Junior Sister, welcome.
Please come in."
Snow White, with her husband, awkwardly cupped their hands,
"Congratulations, Senior Brother."
Little Mortal nodded and heard a voice that said,
"I'm not coming!"
He looked at the other side of the passage and saw Charm Goddess trying to drag her disciple in, but she wouldn't come!
Charm Goddess was the only one who got two 'candies', one as a reward and the other one that she bought.
So she gave one to her disciple, but now she regrets it!
She became as strong as her!
Little Mortal walked in to take matters into his own hands.
Soon, Supreme Elder was dragged in while being pinched!
"Go sit there, Pinky, and don't mess around!
We don't have time!"
Supreme Elder walked to her seat obediently.
It seems even after becoming an immortal, she was still not this little boy's opponent!
Charm Goddess walked in after her,
"Congratulations, Sect Master!
Don't forget about our salary!"
Little Mortal gritted his teeth,
"I give you one year of spanking as salary!"
Charm Goddess laughed and ran to her group of cellmates!
Immortal Manager turned to her old friend,
"That's her way of survival?"
And the Old Manager shook his head,
"No, she is just like that..."
The last person was Manager Luna.
"What's up, Expert Luna?"
Luna smiled and walked in,
"Congratulations."
Seeing no one else left, Little Mortal went back to his Guardian Token,
"Alright, everyone, be ready; we are going to resume the ceremony."
The crowd became quiet.
"Guardian Token, you can play it now."
[Request to resume the ceremony has been sent.]
[Request has been accepted by World Law.]
And the sky turned dark again.
The 'Booming' sound of the genderless voice sounded again,
[Behold the journey of Guardian Mortal!]
All the creatures on the face of the planet, once again fixed their eyes to the sky, watching the scene playing for the whole planet!
Seeing everyone in a trance, Little Mortal changed mode from playful to serious,
"Mr. Token, it's time to lock down the solar system for Level 5 and Higher beings.
From now on, keep our territory in lockdown and connect the barrier to my body directly."
[Request has been sent to the World Law.
World Law failed to detect your body.
Attempt connection through Guardian Token.
Attempt succeeded.
Request has been accepted.]
Then all of a sudden, the genderless voice in the sky 'Boomed' again!
But this time, it wasn't only for creatures on the cultivation planet to hear; instead, the sound echoed in the whole solar system!
[Due to an emergency request from the Solar System Guardian, the solar system will be under lockdown until further notice.
No living beings at Level 5 or higher can enter or exit.]
But because everyone was in a trance, they didn't hear the voice, even the two managers.
Little Mortal nodded,
"Alright, we need to act fast!
Space Mirror, Little Crystal, go out of the solar system with Guardian Token."
Space Mirror vibrated.
"To look for Sneaky Guy, or his clone.
When Little Crystal finds him, Guardian Token knows what to do; you just cooperate with it!"
Then he knocked on the token,
"It's time, activate the karma function."
[Karma function has been activated.
Please choose a target from the Guardian Association wanted list.]
"Sneaky Guy."
[Searching.
There is no one on the wanted list with this name.]
"..."
Little Mortal was speechless.
"Search for this name, then.
'Assassin God. '
This time, the Guardian Token immediately answered,
[Target has been found.
Searching for a karma connection.
Failed.
Target is not in the Guardian territory or close space outside.]
"I know that!
If he were here, do you think we could mess around so much, you silly token!"
He shook his head and continued,
"That's why I'm telling you to go with these two.
Either he or his clone will be here soon.
If it were him, call me over; if it were his clone, find the coordinates of his main body through his clone and come back here.
Is that clear?"
[Clear.]
The Crystal started vibrating at this moment.
< We're gonna die if he comes personally!
You promised me safety!>
"Calm down!
You already know I have a deal with Big Sister.
I guarantee your safety."
"I already know that, but don't worry; I have a way to hide you."
And he ran to the backpack and came back with a bottle.
Inside was filled with black liquid.
"Turn small, all of you."
The Crystal, Mirror, and Guardian Token turned small as a single grape.
Then he opened the bottle and painted them with the black liquid inside.
"Here you go; now literally no one can find you, let alone that Sneaky Guy.
Well, except myself."
The three treasures,
<...>
The Crystal vibrated.
"What do you mean, that's it?
Don't you know what this black liquid is?
Now go!
You know, when it comes to you, I can't do anything that harms you; it will break my deal with Big Sister!"
The three finally left through a passage that Space Mirror opened to wait outside of the solar system's barrier, which was covering the new Guardian territory.
Little Mortal then took off his headband and wristbands,
"Big Guy, I'm off; watch over the place."
The backpack vibrated as if it were saying, 'Go.'
If this little guy took off his headband and wristbands, it means serious business.
Little Mortal took a deep breath and jumped up.
An enormous pit appeared where he was on the silver platform that wasn't supposed to be scratched!
...
In an unknown place.
Somewhere in a dark void, with only some flickering lights far away, a black castle was floating in the empty space...
If you were far away from it, or even close to it but didn't pay enough attention to the things around you,
You wouldn't even feel or see this huge black castle.
Looking from above, inside this black castle, not a single source of light could be seen.
Far away on the cultivation planet, the moment Old Manager accepted a Guardian for the planet, somewhere deep inside this castle, a mumbling voice of a man sounded.
"Oh...
Someone took over one of my planets?"
The place became quiet for a moment, and the voice continued,
"It's a planet from that solar system...
The one that separated from my main universe.
Interesting... I thought it was already auctioned, and they took away the leftovers of that solar system...
But it's different now; I lost access completely...
Is that even possible?
What kind of trick did they use?"
Then, as if he was pondering over it, he remembered something,
"Now that I think about it,
I remember years ago, that 'person' asked me to go on a trip and kill a certain person.
He said the other party is a 'Guardian', one of the leftovers from the Guardian Association we destroyed in my younger days.
He didn't know who the other party was, but there was an obvious sign to find him.
Any planet with living creatures on it, and someone with a Guardian title, is where he is, and the Guardian was my target...
However, I never found him, and after I asked that person what the Guardian title was about, he said it was an authority, given by World Law, under specific conditions to a specific living creature.
Many things were classified information between the higher-ups; even the God's Council wasn't aware of everything.
But I remember if a Guardian shows up, it doesn't matter who is the owner of the planet; we lose complete access to it!
And even 'Higher beings' like me can't affect or influence the planet anymore..."
He wondered,
"Is it a leftover from that place?
I never found out what these guardians could do that made so many higher beings gather and clean them up, until that 'person' sent me to kill one, and told me about the 'Guardian Effect'..."
The man chuckled,
"So a Guardian came out of nowhere and took over that planet?
I thought the God of Oppression, who won the auction to mess with me and asked Pirate God to steal those two planets, would be the unlucky ones...
But it seems this unknown Guardian is the one!"
Then he snorted coldly and mumbled in a mocking tone,
"Guardian?
Of all places, you went to the planet where I hid an anti-matter bomb?
What a joke...
The person with the Guardian position, who is supposed to protect the planet, is going to be the reason for that anti-matter bomb's activation and the destruction of that whole solar system.
Such an irony...
Let me activate the bomb then; it will be the first and last lesson for this Guardian: not to touch the belongings of Gods!"
But his attempt to activate the bomb failed.
"Oh, I can't activate it due to the distance...
I can only feel the direction...
Forget about it; I'll take it back later when I'm done with the war here.
The automatic activation of my anti-matter bombs only works automatically if I lose access to the whole solar system.
So that Guardian can live for a little longer now."
The place turned silent again, but it didn't take long.
Far away on the cultivation planet, Little Mortal won the bet, became the Guardian of the strongest planet in the solar system, and gained the title of Solar System Guardian.
The man's voice sounded again, with some hint of anger in his tone,
"Who is it?
How did they take over the whole solar system so fast?
I lost access to that planet with the higher-level 'pipe', and a moment later, I lost the whole solar system.
Is this why those Old Gods gathered so many of us to clean up those guardians..."
Then he snorted coldly,
"The bomb is going to be activated in a while now..."
But it didn't matter how long he waited; he could still feel where the location of the solar system was because it was still connected to its galaxy in his universe!
"That doesn't make sense...
How is that place still intact?
Are these guardians so capable?"
He gritted his teeth,
"It's better to take care of it now!"
A moment later,
another voice in a respectful tone sounded,
"Lord Assassin God, please give your order."
The man, who was called Assassin God, spoke in anger,
"Galaxy 'ETC2361', the solar system with 'Immortal Planet', do you remember it?"
The voice answered,
"Yes, my lord.
We lost contact with it the moment it was separated from its galaxy because a wormhole appeared for just a moment, and part of the solar system passed through it to an unknown coordinate.
The rest of the planets were separated from that solar system in different directions."
The man called Assassin God gave his order,
"Listen carefully.
I lost authority over that place just now!
And the anti-matter bomb didn't go off!
Go to the 'War Zone'; take a group of creatures from that planet who are still alive, and follow my clone to that solar system."
Then, with an overflowing killing intent, he continued,
"Kill any living being you see there!
Do you hear me?
Anything with intelligence!
Even those who follow you there!
When they killed everyone, kill them too!"
The voice trembled in fear,
"A-as you order, my lord, Assassin God!"
When the man received the order, he already knew it was going to be on his last trip, like the rest of them...
A planet being attacked by others was fine.
But losing a whole solar system?
If the news leaked, Assassin God's reputation would be ruined!
And that was the worst thing for Gods like him.
The loss of reputation was equal to the loss of belief!
At this moment,
Above the castle, the roof of the tallest building exploded!
A dark shadow appeared outside and vanished the next moment into the darkness of the void.
...
Planet Cultivation.
Little Mortal, who jumped towards the sky,
Came back down like a missile while kicking the air behind him!
On his way, the sound barrier around him kept breaking and making loud noises!
In the blink of an eye, he hit the ground and went inside as if he dived into a silver lake without any resistance shown by the silver platform or the ground beneath!
His destination?
Planet's core!