Ragna had chosen to sacrifice six Infinity Gems.
When the six Infinity Gems arrived in his hands, they would most likely disappear in an instant. But how should those enemies be dealt with?
The current strength of the Sacred Heavenly Palace stood at the apex of the known universe. However, the power of the Celestials, the enigmatic nature of the Elders of the Universe, and the unwavering gaze of the Watchers kept Ragna from ever lowering his guard.
No one truly knew the full extent of their power or the hidden cards they had yet to play. The Sacred Heavenly Palace reigned as one of the strongest forces, but it was by no means the sole supreme existence.
Ragna could not afford to be complacent.
The intelligence he had gathered from across the cosmos had only solidified one undeniable truth: the gods were an ever-present threat. The Celestials, ancient architects of creation, wielded unfathomable power, while the Elders—like the Grandmaster, Collector, and Champion—had each lived for billions of years, hoarding knowledge and abilities beyond mortal comprehension.
To counter them, Ragna needed the absolute authority granted by the six Infinity Gems.
Few beings in the entire universe could rival such power.
But when should he sacrifice the Infinity Gems?
The safest approach would be to wait until every last threat in the known universe had been eradicated.
Ragna refused to leave unfinished business.
Yet, a problem remained: the Sun Scepter could not house all six Gems. It had long been his conduit for divine energy, an extension of his will. Abandoning it was not an option.
This meant he needed a new weapon—one capable of bearing the full might of the Infinity Gems. Without such a vessel, even possessing all six Gems would be meaningless. The raw power of the Universe's Origin could not be unleashed without proper control.
To cosmic entities like the Living Tribunal, the Beyonders, and even the One Above All, a single Infinity Gem was insignificant.
Thus, Ragna 's Silver Wings became his final choice.
When his silver wings unfurled, the six Infinity Gems embedded along their edges shimmered with celestial radiance.
Then—silence.
And horror.
The weapon in the Collector's hand was mere inches from Holy Keisha's face.
But time itself had frozen.
Taneleer Tivan, one of the oldest Elders of the Universe, widened his eyes in shock. Relief flickered across his face before he could utter a word.
A being who had survived for eons, whose body had never suffered injury, was reduced to dust in an instant.
No one could have foreseen it.
That speck of dust had once been a cosmic Elder—a being who had stood unchallenged for untold millennia.
The dust scattered into the void.
And it wasn't just Tivan.
Every Elder of the Universe who had dared to strike at Holy Keisha turned to ashes.
But the Celestials remained.
When Keisha's silver wings swept through the battlefield, the Power of the Universe's Origin surged forth. Yet, unlike the Elders, the Celestials did not disintegrate.
They, too, were manifestations of the cosmic order.
The power of the Universe's Origin held great influence over them, but it was not enough to erase them completely.
Instead, something unprecedented occurred.
The Celestials' massive bodies shrank, diminishing to the size of ordinary humanoids.
Their once-boundless might plummeted. In a single instant, their power had fallen by an entire tier.
Keisha had severed their direct connection to the Universe's Origin, crippling their strength.
But it came at a price.
The glow of Keisha's silver wings dimmed, their radiance flickering weakly. Her expression turned pale, her breath unsteady.
To wield the full power of six Infinity Gems—drawing upon the fundamental forces of creation itself—was no small feat.
Even the Hulk and Thanos had suffered severe consequences when using the Gems.
Keisha, despite her Angel Physiology, struggled against the backlash.
Yet, she remained standing. Her divine essence stabilized.
Dust filled the void.
A hush fell over the battlefield.
All forces—the warriors of the Sacred Heavenly Palace, Hela, and the surviving Celestials—ceased fighting, turning their attention to Keisha.
The remaining five Elders of the Universe gathered, wariness in their eyes.
Ragna , too, came to a halt.
For a brief moment, the battlefield was suspended in an eerie silence.
The gods, weakened but still standing, did not retaliate.
The three major factions—the Sacred Palace, the Celestials, and the Elders of the Universe—stood at an impasse.
Ragna eyed the Elders, noting their caution.
But before he could speak—
More Celestials materialized.
The entire Celestial Host had arrived.
Hundreds of them.
Even in their weakened state, they were far from powerless.
Keisha could only unleash the power of the six Gems one more time before she would need to recover.
But was that single opportunity enough to eliminate them all?
Even at their lowest point, these Celestials still possessed combat power bordering on the Fourth-Tier Absolute Realm.
Ragna narrowed his eyes. Then, he turned toward the strongest Law Enforcement Officer among the remaining Elders of the Universe.
"Are we still allies?"
He did not know if the six Gems could obliterate the entire Celestial Host.
But one thing was clear.
If the remaining Elders were on his side, then these weakened Celestials were no longer a major threat.
If the Elders were against him, however, then the six Gems would erase them first.
The Celestials were troublesome, but not impossible to defeat. If necessary, Ragna would whittle them down one by one over time.
The Celestial Host lacked their top-tier warriors.
But the Elders of the Universe still held formidable might—one at the peak of the Fourth-Tier Absolute, and four just beneath it.
The Law Enforcement Officer regarded Ragna with solemnity before speaking.
"Without question."
"We have one goal—to uncover the universe's greatest secret. Nothing else matters."
Ragna pondered this response.
Before he could reply, a voice interrupted.
A towering Celestial, its body still larger than most beings but now lacking its former overwhelming presence, stepped forward.
Its energy signature still bordered on the Fourth-Tier Absolute Realm.
"Perhaps… we are not enemies."
The Celestial's words carried weight.
"In fact, we should be thanking you… for freeing us."
Most of the Celestials had lost their connection to the Universe's Origin, their strength greatly diminished.
But this one—even severed from that power—still held near-absolute might.
Had it once been even stronger than the others?
"You must understand," the Celestial continued. "We were created as tools."
It turned its gaze toward Ragna .
"But over the ages, tools can develop their own thoughts."
"Not all of us desire servitude."
"Not all of us believe that the universe's deepest secret should remain hidden."
"For eons, we have resisted the subconscious influence of the Universe's Origin."
Ragna listened but remained cautious.
Words alone were meaningless.
Actions mattered.
"If you seek balance, then consider this."
"Hundreds of undying gods still exist."
"They can destroy everything."
"And they can keep you from obtaining the final Infinity Gem."
The Celestial observed Keisha's subtle attempts to recover energy but remained calm.
Had the Celestial Host descended on Vormir sooner, Ragna and the Elders would have stood no chance.
This was fact.
"We have long awaited your arrival, Ragna ."
The Celestial's voice lowered.
"As for those who fought against you?"
It gestured toward the fallen.
"They were either bound by the Universe's will… or simply wished to witness the truth firsthand."
Ragna exhaled slowly.
Then, he asked.
"What is this truth?"
The Celestial's answer was simple.
"Reality."
"And beyond it… hope."
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