Countless True Stings chased Tom toward the left side of the dead planet, then toward the right side, and soon they found themselves spinning endlessly in circles around it.
Meanwhile, Tom stealthily slipped up to the very top of the planet.
Seeing that the bugs were still frantically circling around below, Tom slapped his thigh with satisfaction, his mouth stretching into a broad grin.
"Ha↑ Ha↓ Ha↑!"
Unfortunately, his proud laughter instantly drew the attention of another swarm, who began rushing toward him.
Those already spinning around the planet were alerted by their comrades' pheromones and began closing in on Tom from the opposite side.
At the sight, Tom's eyes popped out on springs, limbs and tail flailing wildly in every direction, his entire body floating cartoonishly in mid-air.
In panic, he quickly dove inside the planet.
Rapidly descending near the wounded Swarm Mother, Tom saw himself surrounded by dense swarms again. With remarkable agility, he scurried up the Swarm Mother's massive horn, bounced off it several times like a diving board, struck a graceful pose, and plunged straight into its body, vanishing without a trace.
Ripples spread outward across the Swarm Mother's sturdy carapace from where Tom had disappeared, as if he'd dived into water rather than solid armor.
The True Stings hovered uncertainly over the Mother Bug's back, confused by Tom's sudden disappearance.
Seconds later, Tom re-emerged, effortlessly backstroking through the Swarm Mother's hardened shell. Casually, he waved cheerfully to the puzzled insects.
Enraged, the bugs lunged forward, but Tom quickly submerged again beneath the shell.
The bugs crashed headfirst onto the Swarm Mother's armor, tumbling chaotically.
"Bzzz——!"
The Swarm Mother let out a dissatisfied buzz of irritation.
Instantly, the bugs dispersed, no longer daring to disturb their queen.
Peeking his head cautiously out, Tom saw the area was finally clear. He pulled out the True Sting head from before, placed it back atop his own head as a disguise, and tiptoed stealthily away toward the planet's underside.
---
Truthfully, Yevenko's advantage in close combat was overwhelming. The real trouble was that, as he fought one Swarm Mother directly, the other one kept sniping from afar.
To solve this issue was simple enough: just bring the distant Swarm Mother close enough for Yevenko to handle both at once.
But Tom knew he couldn't defeat the Swarm Mother alone—he could only assist Yevenko indirectly.
Then, there was only one logical solution:
He'd just move the whole planet over there, wouldn't he?
Standing next to the colossal planet, Tom was like a tiny speck of sand. Nevertheless, he placed both paws on the planet's edge and pushed with all his might. His face turned bright red, ears pumping out steam like miniature engines.
The entire planet trembled slightly—but quickly settled back into stillness.
Seeing a direct push wouldn't work, Tom spun around, bracing his back against the planet and using both legs to shove it instead. This time, the planet shook even more noticeably, inching slightly to the left.
But in mere moments, Tom's strength gave out completely. He leaned exhaustedly against the planet, tongue hanging out as sweat poured from him, chest heaving.
Clearly, brute force wasn't the answer—he was, after all, a cat who excelled in intelligence, artistry, and everything else.
Staring thoughtfully at the enormous planet, Tom's mind raced. Gradually, a speech bubble appeared beside his head, depicting a seesaw rocking up and down rhythmically.
Tom's eyes suddenly lit up with realization.
Without hesitation, he stepped right into the speech bubble, pulled out one end of the seesaw, and walked confidently back out. The seesaw extended endlessly behind him as he made his way around to the opposite side of the planet.
After placing the seesaw down, he carefully set a large rock beneath it as a fulcrum.
He then pulled out a chalkboard and chalk, scribbling furiously, calculating angles and forces. Satisfied with the final result, Tom began flapping his makeshift bug-wings, rising higher and higher into space, until he finally reached into his back pocket—
—and pulled out an enormous cartoon hammer labeled [10,000,000…000 KG].
Instantly, Tom plummeted downward, smashing violently onto the seesaw's end.
The entire planet shook violently from the impact and launched dramatically into space, sailing in a flawless arc directly toward Yevenko's battlefield.
---
Everyone: "…"
Bronya, who had now joined the group watching the virtual projection, stared slack-jawed at the surreal scene unfolding before her. Finally, she murmured in disbelief,
"I'm just a local from some remote planet, and maybe I don't know much… But is casually flipping an entire planet around single-handedly considered normal out in your universe?"
This overwhelming visual spectacle shattered March 7th's comprehension entirely. Her eyes widened, lips parting as she murmured senselessly,
"Ah-ba… Ah-ba…"
Stelle, who'd been feeling slightly excited about her newly-acquired strength, now found her heart calm and utterly flat. Her expression filled with deep confusion as she asked slowly,
"Is this even possible? Of course it's not possible!"
"But… knowing it's Tom who did it suddenly makes it seem… still completely impossible!"
Even the typically composed Dan Heng couldn't stop his eyebrow from twitching slightly.
Earlier, seeing Yevenko struggling against two Swarm Mothers, he'd considered joining the battle to help out. After all, Belobog's defensive situation had greatly improved, giving them breathing room.
But now, he was profoundly glad he hadn't—comparing himself to this absurd "support" offered by Tom would've surely dealt an irreparable blow to his pride.
Even Himeko's projection showed her gently pursing her lips in thought, murmuring quietly,
"The destructive power Tom just demonstrated is basically at an Emanator level."
"I'm just wondering… If Tom could pull off something like this, why didn't he directly eliminate the wounded Swarm Mother? Why did he fling the entire planet instead?"
"Is it some kind of limitation… or did he just do it for pure, whimsical fun?"
They had no idea, and it wasn't as if they'd ever heard Tom actually explain himself.
Gradually recovering from her earlier shock, March 7th's rainbow-colored eyes shone brightly as her lips curled into an excited smile.
"But this is fantastic news!"
"With Tom's power, who'd ever dare look down on the Astral Express again? From today onward, I'm officially clinging to Tom's thigh!"
"Or better yet—why not just make Tom my Big Bro right now!"
Hearing March's declaration, Stelle tilted her head thoughtfully and remarked innocently,
"But March, isn't Yevenko Tom's master? So, if you recognize Tom as your Big Bro, wouldn't that make Yevenko your…"