Victor's Central Command was on maximum alert. The main hologram displayed the smoking void where the border sector of Overlord Light had once existed. Retaliation was imminent.
Victor Elderblood, in his human form, ran his hands across the tactile screen, processing the invasion data from Scathach and Sasha.
"They didn't respond with fleets, but with Concepts," Victor murmured to Ruby Elderblood Scarlett. "Sasha's virus is working. Their Positivity is collapsing mentally. The next attack will come from Rank 7 or Rank 8 personally. They won't risk more puppets."
The Governor of the Universe was seated on his obsidian throne, watching Victor with insatiable interest.
"You worry too much about numbers, Victor," the Governor's voice sounded—calm and ethereal, yet with the authority of someone who controlled the continuity of the scene itself.
Victor turned, his patience exhausted. "I already fulfilled my part of the deal, Rank Zero. Now, tell me what you know about the fragility of the System-Devouring Fortress."
The Governor smiled. And, for the first time, he introduced himself.
"My name," the man said, rising and straightening his simple coat, "is Galadriel."
The mention of the name made Victor's Divinity of Creation waver.
"I am the Thought on which this Multiverse depends. Reality is nothing more than my dream. And all of you, Victor, are my most complex reverie."
Victor felt an existential cold that even the Outer God Essence could barely withstand. He had sensed the Primordial nature, but not its totality. Rank 0 was not merely a Regulator. He was the metaphysics that sustained the System itself.
'He is playing God… No, he is the game. And he cannot be destroyed, because if he stops thinking about me, I cease to exist.'
Victor's possessive rage yielded to strategic cunning. He could not lose control. He could not allow Galadriel's Thought to become a nightmare.
The Metallic Fan
"I'm flattered to be your fantasy, Galadriel," Victor replied, recovering the perverse smile—his only shield against conceptual terror. "But as you said, time is precious. You will get your tourism through my soul. Now, the information."
"Oh, but the visit begins now," Galadriel countered, his smile widening. He made no destructive gesture. He simply took a step toward the Command Center entrance.
"I know that Mother Earth, Gaia, and the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, are nearby. And I am a great fan of theirs."
Upon hearing the explicit threat and the invocation of the Divine names, two figures materialized instantly, driven by Obsession and the instinct of Protection toward their Husband.
Gaia Elderblood and Aphrodite Elderblood appeared in their 4-meter forms, completely naked and ready for battle, their Dragon God bodies emanating power. Gaia, with long green hair and a maternal/vindictive physique, and Aphrodite, the personification of irrepressible beauty.
"Who are you, you worm, to say my name in the tone you used?" Gaia hissed, the metal floor of the Command Center cracking beneath her feet. "If you are the Thought, I am the Earth that sustains you. I will bury you."
Aphrodite was less threatening, but more curious. She evaluated Galadriel with her Goddess-of-Beauty gaze. "A fan? It's rare for someone here not to be one of my Husband's obsessions. You're not ugly, but you don't attract me. Be polite."
Galadriel ignored Gaia's threat and Aphrodite's vanity. He stepped back and, to Victor's astonishment, his human face flushed intensely, turning a vivid red.
"I… I'm sorry," Galadriel stammered, looking away. His voice lost its Divine authority for an instant. "I'm a great admirer of both of you. Mother Earth and your dominion over Life and the Cycle are… and the Goddess of Love is such a sincere force."
He swallowed. "You are so beautiful… I admire you sexually and romantically, if honesty is permitted. You are the essence of all my Thoughts about beauty."
The silence in the room was crushing. Victor's shock was absolute.
'He is using honesty! And admiration! He is behaving like a pathetic Human Child to disarm my Possessive Fury!'
Victor knew that Gaia, Goddess of Vengeance, would become confused. And Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, would become vain—but disarmed by the sincerity of admiration.
"How cute," Aphrodite murmured with a little laugh, her pink eyes analyzing the false/real vulnerability of Galadriel. "You are the Governor of the Universe and you're blushing. What is your weakness, Victor?"
Victor, restraining his Negativity before it exploded and destroyed him, activated Protocol 'Focus on Chaos.'
"The problem isn't weakness, my Goddess," Victor hissed, his voice low and lethal. "The problem is that he knows too much about my jewels."
He looked at Galadriel, who still blushed, but whose Thought-eyes fixated on Gaia and Aphrodite with silent possession.
"If you are the Thought, Galadriel," Victor challenged, "then I am the Chaos that wakes you from your sleep. You will not touch them. You will tell me how to destroy the System-Devouring Fortress."