A vast and mighty presence enveloped the entire star system.
Right now, Huititedan's intestines were practically turning green with regret. He should have known sooner! How could a native "Stellar-class" civilization possibly exist in this corner of the cosmos?!
But who could have guessed that the background of this native civilization would be so terrifying?
At a time like this, encountering an Astral God would have been a more pleasant experience than meeting an unknown Grand Monarch.
The eighteen most famous Astral Gods had countless retainers across the universe who sang their praises. Such beings typically disdained to act against an Emissary; their targets were other Astral Gods.
An Astral God appearing in a forgotten corner of the universe was either one whose [Path] was peculiar and had few retainers, or one who was heavily injured and lying in wait. They would never easily reveal their presence. If an Astral God in such a state appeared before the [Antimatter Legion]... as long as Lord Nanook wasn't tied up with something extremely important, that Astral God's destruction would be all but guaranteed.
But a Grand Monarch was different.
As a being capable of conversing with Astral Gods, and based on the principle that Astral Gods must fulfill their Path, it was not easy for an Astral God to erase a Grand Monarch without using the power of their own high-dimensional Path. The reason Nanook struck fear into civilizations was precisely because the essence of the [Path of Destruction] he controlled was intrinsically tied to slaughter and devastation.
The problem was, Huititedan was an Emissary who had "rebelled" from another [Path] to join the [Antimatter Faction]. And now, he had encountered a Grand Monarch-level being who was even more adept at the [Path of Destruction] than he was.
Never mind the fact that Lord Nanook's will would not manifest here. Even if it did, what if this Grand Monarch chose to "surrender"? Would he himself be made an example of?
That remained an unknown.
"My Lord—"
"Huititedan, Lord of Stars."
Before Huititedan could finish, his words were cut off by a mental wave emanating from the brilliant, golden sphere.
"You said earlier,"
"That Stellar-class is nothing special."
The Monarch's will was etched into the very history of this star system.
"..."
Huititedan didn't even have time to sweat lava from his brow. He wanted to offer an explanation, but he was not skilled in the art of persuasion... no, persuasion was at least a skill. Since joining the [Antimatter Legion], Huititedan, accustomed to acting arrogantly with Nanook's backing, was utterly inept at communication.
To be precise, there wasn't a single individual in the [Antimatter Legion] who was good at communication!
The forces under the Lords of Annihilation, at least, only needed to destroy, having no need to communicate with other civilizations.
But for Huititedan, this situation was as awkward as it was... fatal.
"But from my perspective,"
"Super-Stellar-class also seems to be nothing special."
---o---
Race: Emissary · Lord of Stars · Huititedan
Level: 95
Abilities: Omitted
Attack: 1300
Speed: 1300
Constitution: 1100
Evaluation: A star that burns eternal.
---o---
Although it had been a long time since he had checked stats, the ability integrated into his Dominion had not been lost. From the moment the Monarch appeared, Huititedan's information had been laid bare before his eyes.
Huititedan's level was five higher than his own, yet his average stats were about twenty percent lower. While the gap might seem to be only around a fifth, the threshold between them could be described as an unbridgeable gulf. There were quite a few [Emissaries] in the cosmos stuck below the 1500 attribute point mark. But as for [Grand Monarchs] above that threshold, all the active civilized powers combined might not be able to find enough to count on two hands.
That's right.
Grand Monarchs were actually rarer than Astral Gods.
The Monarch's originally anticipated opponent was the leader of the [Antimatter Legion], "Annihilation," who was also a Grand Monarch.
Lu Xing needed to absorb Dominions.
They had to be either sufficiently unique (like Phanes) or sufficiently powerful (Emissary and above). Though not yet obvious, the power of the [Paths] had begun to subtly transform the Empire's retainers ever since Lu Xing evolved from the Emperor Ball into the Grand Sovereign Entropy Dragon.
In other words, weaker Dominions—or more accurately, the power of mere [Pathstriders]—were no longer of much help to him.
Of course, declaring, judging, and arbitrating civilizations, while not producing any fundamental changes, could still grant Lu Xing some attribute points.
It wasn't much, admittedly.
But at least it would let him destroy... five more suns with each ultimate attack?
This [Emissary] named Huititedan was not very strong, but his rank was "worthy" of being eliminated by the Monarch's own hand.
Moreover—
As a being who had switched [Path] allegiances, Huititedan was very different from a typical [Emissary]. There was another power lying dormant within him, one he had never (or perhaps, never dared to) use.
"What are you waiting for?"
The Monarch's voice shattered Huititedan's hope of retreat.
His brief silence just now had led him to believe this Grand Monarch was wary of Nanook, but that was not the case.
"Kevin has made his move twice."
"I will also give you two chances to make yours."
With hope shattered, many demands become as simple as grasping at straws.
"Use any means you wish."
"As long as you can push me back by one millimeter, I will permit you to leave and will not pursue the previous friction and disrespect."
This was not arrogance.
The Monarch needed to know the true combat strength of an [Emissary] to make a more accurate judgment of the cosmic situation—not through data, but through actual combat.
Furthermore, the Monarch did not believe Huititedan could harm him.
Although many of his offensive abilities were unusable in his Emperor Ball state, his defensive power was not only weaker than his Grand Sovereign Entropy Dragon form but actually even stronger.
"Or perhaps," the Monarch continued, seeing Huititedan's hesitation.
Huititedan was, of course, worried that a rash attack would be used against him. The Monarch would indeed not pursue the previous offense, but an attack made now would still be counted! He had fallen for such simple verbal traps countless times when he was weaker. The Lord of Stars' magma-filled brain, for the first time in a long while, began to spin at high speed!
"You choose to forfeit this chance?"
There was no way out.
Regardless of whether this Grand Monarch would keep his word, Huititedan had to act.
"Push you back by one millimeter..."
"Are you serious?" Huititedan sought confirmation once more.
"Naturally," the Monarch's voice was filled with a casual disdain.
"Then I shall be so bold!"
The gap between them was indeed enormous, but this being was underestimating him!
Even a Lord of Annihilation wouldn't dare to take one of his ultimate attacks head-on without any defense, let alone be pushed back by it.
Perhaps this opponent was more adept at a defensive [Path] (he was a ball, after all), but he, Huititedan, was not one of those brutes who only knew brute force. If his opponent focused most of his energy on defending against the [Dominion of Destruction], then...
"Ugh—"
Surging magma erupted from his abyssal maw along with a furious roar!
"ARGH!!!"
At the center of Huititedan's chest, the crimson veins grew denser, and his obsidian-like body shattered into imperceptible dust.
What remained was an opening darker than deep space itself.
And from within—
"ROOOOAR!!!!!"
Shadow, agony, immolation, disaster.
A deep shadow, carrying with it a frenzied storm of Imaginary energy,凝聚d before Huititedan into the form of a ferocious monster!
"Oh?"
The Monarch watched with great interest as the creature crawled out of Huititedan's body.
[Primordial Doomsday Beast]
The [Antimatter Legion], using fragments of a Twilight Ancient Beast for its flesh and the怨念of ten thousand skeletons smelted in the [War Forge] for its soul, had created another famous anti-planetary unit besides the [Vanguard of Havoc]: the [Doomsday Beast].
This thing was a pure weapon of war.
Its antimatter engine, suspended in the center of its body, was driven by the will of an [Ancient Beast], fusing and utilizing both Imaginary and Quantum energy.
That's right.
The powerful [Ancient Beasts] had largely disappeared from the cosmos.
The most famous surviving [Ancient Beast] today was "Ouroboros, the Astral God of Voracity"—a black hole with the ability to think.
But the remains of the Ancient Beasts still circulated as precious "collectibles."
Among these remains, which possessed incredible abilities, the [Twilight Ancient Beast] obtained by the [Antimatter Legion] had an extra special power:
It could wield both Imaginary and Quantum energy simultaneously!
And the [Doomsday Beast] created from its remains had inherited this ability. The threat posed to a civilization by a lifeform that had mastered Quantum energy as if by instinct was self-evident.
This was why the [Doomsday Beast], despite not having the same exaggerated combat power as the [Vanguard of Havoc], was feared far more by countless civilizations. It was a power that belonged to the "Cancer of All Worlds, the Abyss." Any contact with it, whether intentional or accidental... would have an immeasurable negative impact on a civilization's "fortune."
If an ordinary [Doomsday Beast] was already so terrifying, then how strong would this [Primordial Doomsday Beast] released from Huititedan's body be...
It was simply inestimable.
---o---
However, to the Monarch, this creature was indeed... inestimably weak.
The [Primordial Doomsday Beast]'s combat power was slightly higher than a [Vanguard of Havoc]'s, but it still hadn't surpassed the level of a "strong planet-buster." At best, it merely touched the threshold of Stellar-class.
In other words, this thing couldn't even defeat Kevin.
And its vaunted control over Quantum energy was a complete joke in front of the Monarch.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
With a savage roar, the [Primordial Doomsday Beast] charged straight at the Monarch!
This thing could be considered a "summoned beast," so until it was defeated, it could probably be counted as part of the "first move."
Clearly, Huititedan had high hopes for the [Primordial Doomsday Beast]. He didn't expect this sealed beast to defeat his opponent, but as long as this Grand Monarch didn't want to be tainted by such a massive amount of Quantum energy, he would have to dodge. And as long as he dodged, Huititedan would have his chance to escape.
Huititedan himself did not possess the ability to manipulate Quantum energy; releasing the [Primordial Doomsday Beast] was a considerable drain on him. While controlling it to attack, he had to be careful not to suffer a backlash.
However...
Desperate gambles made in times of crisis usually dissolve into illusory bubbles.
Watching the [Primordial Doomsday Beast] charge at him, the golden sphere did not dodge or evade, allowing the sealed beast, overflowing with immense Quantum energy, to slam right into it!
"Thump—"
"Whine~ mm."
The expected scene did not occur. Instead, something utterly terrifying to Huititedan happened: the moment the [Primordial Doomsday Beast] was about to collide with the sphere, it suddenly broke free from his mental link and came to a dead stop right in front of it!
And then...
The [Primordial Doomsday Beast], larger than the moon, actually let out a sound like a whimpering puppy trying to curry favor!
"Hmm..."
"I'll accept this 'gift.' You may begin preparing your next move."
This was an unexpected development.
The Monarch was not worried about Quantum energy erosion. Thirty percent of the Grand Sovereign Entropy Dragon's composition was refined Quantum energy, so pure that if thrown into the Quantum Sea, it would be mistaken for the boss of all Quantum Beasts.
And this [Primordial Doomsday Beast], possessing the three attributes of "Ancient Beast," "Imaginary Energy," and "Quantum Energy," had a high degree of similarity to the Monarch's own body. The deceased Astral God, the "Dragon of Immortality," was a member of the [Ancient Beasts]. After the Monarch, who could control both Imaginary and Quantum energy, used [Root Regression] to brainwash it, the beast actually began an unprecedented process of "acknowledging its ancestor."
And then...
"..."
Huititedan hadn't broken down yet, not thanks to his strong mental fortitude, but because the shock of this scene was so immense that he had temporarily lost the ability to think.
The Primordial Doomsday Beast—the first-generation [Doomsday Beast] successfully created by the [Antimatter Legion] through countless fusions and modifications, with even Lord Nanook lending a hand; the very being that controlled the entire Doomsday Beast race (Huititedan controlled all Doomsday Beasts by controlling the Primordial)—had just defected to the enemy!
Never mind that this was a precious "Stellar-class" combatant that couldn't even beat a [Vanguard of Havoc].
Just its ability to control ordinary Doomsday Beasts...
If the Antimatter Legion couldn't keep it under its control, it would become a massive, ticking time bomb!
Get it back?
Get what back?!
Huititedan's fear of this sphere had reached an unprecedented height.
To be able to rewrite the "program" inscribed by Lord Nanook himself... even among the pitifully few Grand Monarchs, this one was absolutely one of the top-tier!
The goal of "pushing it back one millimeter" was no longer something that could be achieved by paying the price of "lying down for a few millennia."
He had to burn his bridges!
But just as Huititedan made up his mind—
"...?"
The entire body of the Primordial Doomsday Beast, born from the will of the Twilight Ancient Beast, once again broke the rules set by Lord Nanook and began to change violently!