In truth, Kevin was bored.
As a pure warrior, there were only a handful of worthy opponents in the entire Empire. Even if he went to the Quantum Sea for fun, it was hard to say if he'd be stealing the Quantum Legion's kills, and he wasn't really there to fight monsters anyway. As mentioned before, the Quantum Beast genes within him allowed him to sway, or even directly control, the consciousness of Quantum Beasts.
Given Kevin's power, a target that would require a legion commander-level [Higher Primordial Species] to take down with considerable time and effort, Kevin could make surrender with his "charm" alone. Such kill-stealing behavior was detrimental to the legion's development, so Kevin was also essentially banned from fighting in the Quantum Sea.
With the exception of a few "deep-sea probes"—in search of a world bubble with a development level similar to the civilization that birthed "Odin," the Monarch had Kevin lead a few tentative deep dives—Kevin's daily training mostly consisted of finding star systems with no civilization and practicing the speed and efficiency of blowing up planets.
Simply put, under such high-intensity training, if one only considered planet-busting efficiency, Kevin was even more professional than the Monarch. The First Flame-Chaser provided a huge boost to the Empire's "star-shattering mining" operations. At the same time, because these destroyed planets were not too close to Imperial territory (to reduce the impact of space junk), the Empire's few mining ships were each large enough to rival the Dreadnoughts of other civilizations.
Now, a long-awaited opponent stood before him. There was no reason for Kevin not to accept the challenge.
The "Karma Demon Collapsed State" was not Kevin's limit. By releasing the Imaginary energy that he constantly compressed and stored in every cell during his non-combat time, Kevin could enter the "Savior Collapsed State" in an extremely short period.
This form, which could only be maintained for fifteen seconds of combat, if he were to unleash his full power in a single move...
He could destroy the sun.
That's right. Kevin, in his "Savior Collapsed State," couldn't destroy a star's core, but his attack could significantly affect the "photosphere" (the gaseous shell on the surface of the sun's core), causing its activity to skyrocket and rapidly consume the hydrogen within the core. This would be followed by a gravitational imbalance, collapse, and explosion.
This level of combat power, capable of destroying a star system by influencing a star's internal mechanics, was generally referred to as "Stellar-class."
As for what lay beyond that...
"Hahahaha."
"A short-sighted ant."
Huititedan's laughter echoed throughout the entire star system.
Nearby meteorite fragments, already shattered in the previous explosions, were directly pulverized into dust by the sound waves. Yes, Huititedan's voice could travel through the vacuum of space, using the shockwaves from meteorite explosions that were more than ten kilometers apart.
And those planets farther away, which hadn't been destroyed in the prior battle, were knocked off their established orbits by the sheer force of Huititedan's laughter.
"A life-risking gambit?"
Huititedan did not stop Kevin, who was continuously elevating his aura.
"Perhaps some of the weaker Emissaries, because of their pathetic stars... Paths, might be injured by a mere 'Stellar-class' attack."
Huititedan had originally wanted to say Astral Gods.
But no matter how weak an Astral God was or how unsuited for combat their Path was, one had to be at the Grand Monarch level to even speak with such a being.
If he dared to speak ill of an Astral God from a non-hostile faction behind their back... and that Astral God took action, killing him would be considered a "light punishment." Huititedan would have brought it entirely upon himself, and even his boss, Nanook, wouldn't protect him.
"But!"
"I am an Emissary of the Astral God of Destruction!"
"With just that little bit of power you have..."
"BOOM!!!"
The fissures on his body grew larger, and incandescent, magma-like arcs burst forth from within.
Deep black particles poured out—the frequency of molecular activity changed drastically, accompanied by a frantic increase in magnetic field strength.
These two phenomena were commonly known as solar prominences and sunspots.
To put it simply, the reason Huititedan was called the "Lord of Stars" was because his true body... was an extremely compressed star with a life and consciousness of its own!
"You cannot harm me in the slightest!"
"RUMBLE!!!!!"
Huititedan transformed entirely into a giant of flame.
A brilliance far more dazzling than the central star of the Sky People's system poured out from within him, seemingly without end.
"Since you are unwilling to submit."
The temperature of the entire star system skyrocketed in an instant.
Whether it was the armor of the Imperial fleet's starships or the [Anti-Kevin Armament Model 799] worn by Vill-V, their surfaces all began a rapid melting process, transitioning from solid to liquid!
"Then witness the power of the 'Super-Stellar-class'—"
The "Super-Stellar-class," a tier capable of destroying a sun in a single blow, was the highest level of combat power an [Emissary] possessed.
An [Emissary] above this level could be honored as a "Grand Monarch."
Although it sounded like bragging, Huititedan's combat power was undoubtedly at the top among [Emissaries]. The full-power burst of Kevin's "Savior Collapsed State" could already touch the threshold of an [Emissary]'s power, but against a being like Huititedan... it was still lacking.
"Be reduced to ash!"
The ultimate expression of light and heat.
A power that could destroy all creation erupted from Huititedan's body!
With this one attack, forget the Imperial fleet, not even dust would remain in the entire star system. Once a star's core was detonated, the power exceeding a supernova explosion would not only destroy the entire system but would also affect all civilizations within a radius of at least 200 astronomical units (approximately 30 trillion kilometers).
Kevin had already entered his "Savior Collapsed State."
If it were a one-on-one fight, Kevin would have given Huititedan a massive blast even if it cost him his life. But now, behind him, were three-quarters of the surviving Imperial fleet. They could not possibly withstand an attack of this magnitude.
"Hiss!!!"
The flames that shot up from the tip of his greatsword, just before the wave of light and heat from Huititedan struck, instantly transformed from leaping crimson to a deep sapphire blue.
The next moment, the silent flames retracted their edge, flowing back into the blade as a hemispherical shield met Huititedan's world-ending blow head-on—
"Celestial Fire · Sheathe."
"BOOM!!!!!"
---o---
Time does not stop.
It would likely take an unknown number of eons before this region of space returned to tranquility.
"—"
The sky-blotting shield caught about ten percent of the force of Huititedan's attack.
That was correct.
The attack launched by Huititedan was an omnidirectional blast with no blind spots. Although he had locked down the surrounding space with his power, it didn't mean his opponent couldn't dodge with superior agility. Even though he had spoken of "Stellar-class" as weak, the opponents he had faced at that level were often true [Emissaries].
Besides combat power, [Emissaries], as beings whose mastery of a Path was second only to an Astral God, often possessed all sorts of incredible abilities. Huititedan had once fought an [Emissary] from the [Garden of Recollection] (the retainers of Fuli, the Astral God of Remembrance). Although his opponent's direct combat strength was far inferior, no matter how he attacked, he couldn't inflict more than one percent damage.
Based on this, Huititedan had chosen a no-blind-spot attack pattern.
For the same energy expenditure, the single-target destructive power of this move, [Nova Annihilation], was far less than it appeared.
This was not a mistake, but a deliberate choice by Huititedan.
Sword for shield.
Kevin successfully blocked Huititedan's attack, but it consumed over ninety percent of his Imaginary energy. The reason Kevin, standing before the fleet, continued to maintain his "Savior Collapsed State" was that he feared he would lose consciousness if he reverted to his human form.
The Sky People were not important.
Even beings at the Vanguard of Havoc level had now become disposable.
Huititedan had found a better toy. This "unaffiliated civilization" was full of unknown secrets. From their "leader" he had just fought, this Emissary saw many traces extremely similar to the [Path of Destruction].
Even if they were unwilling to submit, studying this civilization would definitely lead to many new discoveries.
Huititedan was different from the Lords of Annihilation, who knew only destruction. His understanding of the [Path of Destruction], while more "impure," was also more dialectical. Nanook believed that destruction was necessary for rebirth, so alongside the pure destroyers represented by the Lords of Annihilation, the [Antimatter Legion] also had a "rebirth" faction, represented by Huititedan.
In addition to recruiting civilizations that were impulsive, easily provoked, and skilled in destruction, Huititedan had a particular fondness for "unaffiliated civilizations" like this one, which had naturally embarked upon the [Path of Destruction].
With just a little modification, they could be transformed into an extremely powerful force.
The Sky People had done well. Through their sacrifice, they had provided the [Antimatter Legion] with better prospects.
Huititedan glanced at the star about to explode.
The incandescent red on his body gradually dimmed, and a terrifying, colossal hand reached straight for Kevin and the Imperial fleet behind him—
"!!!"
The mountain-like arm froze in deep space.
An unprecedented, vast, and boundless aura forced him to halt his actions.
"Who is there!?"
"..."
The feeling of being stared at by a beast—no, by an ancient beast—prickled every corner of his being.
It had been a long time since Huititedan had experienced such a mental shock. He vaguely recalled that the last time he felt this abyss-like terror was when he first met a Lord of Annihilation. As he became Nanook's [Emissary], this feeling had gradually faded with time.
A terrifying roar shattered the silence of the star system, but no life responded to Huititedan's call.
However, this was the truly terrifying part.
Regardless of their chosen [Path], an [Emissary] could vaguely sense the presence of danger from the laws of the universe through their mastery of their [Path]'s power. Huititedan was relatively weak in this type of metaphysical ability.
In other words, when even he could sense danger descending, the danger was truly imminent.
"Enough with the theatrics!"
Huititedan gathered his power once more.
He no longer cared if he might harm his newly acquired "toy." A surge of Imaginary energy, twice as powerful as the blow that had overwhelmed Kevin, accompanied the reappearance of solar prominences and sunspots on his body, and once again washed over the star system that had already been turned into glittering ruins!
"—"
But nothing happened.
The peak-level Emissary's Imaginary energy blast vanished the instant it left Huititedan's body, like a pencil mark erased by a rubber... the kind that left not even a trace.
Even more absurdly, the star, which had been so active from the last attack that it was on the verge of a supernova explosion... had actually, actually cooled down!
"Reversing a supernova..."
Not suppressing it, not neutralizing it, but reversing it!
The experienced Huititedan had, of course, been fortunate enough to witness such a great power before.
But! The being he had personally witnessed easily reversing a supernova's power back then... was a goddamn Astral God!!!
Perhaps a Grand Monarch skilled in this area could do it.
But as a top-tier [Emissary] himself, Huititedan was certain that no [Emissary] could ever achieve this!
Wait...
The shock momentarily broke him free from his fear, but if he were to put all the pieces together—
"This one is Huititedan, a retainer of Lord Nanook."
Huititedan's voice was no longer arrogant, but instantly respectful... He didn't even dare to mention his own title anymore.
If his guess was correct, the "unaffiliated civilization" he had just been fighting was most likely the retainer of some unknown Astral God. How many Astral Gods there were, probably not even the lofty Astral Gods themselves knew. Besides the eighteen well-known ones in the cosmos, there were many old relics who hadn't shown themselves in countless eons.
Therefore, Huititedan's first thought was: he had crashed into an impenetrable wall.
"This humble one had no intention of offending your Excellency's glorious name."
Huititedan lowered his form of address once again.
"If there was any disrespect earlier,"
"I implore you, for Lord Nanook's sake, to allow this one to visit and offer an apology!"
"..."
Still, no one responded.
Despite the silence, Huititedan felt the pressure on him growing heavier. Just as this suffocating feeling was about to reach its limit—
"I am no Astral God."
Huititedan finally heard a response.
At the same time, above the star of the Sky People's system, at a position perfectly perpendicular to the stellar rings...
"VWOOM!!!"
The entire star system trembled for an instant.
"Gulp."
Huititedan forced down a mouthful of magma.
A presence, clearer and far more terrifying than the one he had felt before, descended from the starry sky.
Not an Astral God?
Indeed, Astral Gods were metaphysical beings; their projections in the cosmos would never be this small.
But!
The fact that the other party was not an Astral God made things worse. It meant that "taking action" no longer required an excuse for a powerful being bullying a weaker one. Lord Nanook would have no grounds to save him from this catastrophe.
Yes, a catastrophe.
The reason Huititedan chose this word was because...
The aura this being exuded was in no way weaker than that of the leader of the [Antimatter Legion], a Lord of Annihilation.
That's right, this was an unfamiliar—
"Grand Monarch."