"But unfortunately for you," ca the voice from all directions, its malice freezing the blood, "you'll all die here today."
"Then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed," Sora replied. "We're taking this planet's story with us—and we will escape!"
Ouja's nerves were wound tight, her eyes scanning for the first sign of an attack.
No matter what happened, she would fulfill her duty as a protector.
And with Zulo's full resurrection, there was no telling how he might attack.
The air itself stilled—ti seed to pause.
Then—
An oppressive force surged in from every direction. Twisting, suffocating. Zulo's voice echoed again, laced with mockery and confidence.
"Escape? There's nowhere left to run."
As his words fell, it felt like every inch of ground, every breath of air had beco his weapon.
The earth split open.
Crimson tendrils shot forth like grasping vines, reaching into the banquet hall, trying to ensnare everyone inside.
Sora kept firing—round after round—blasting the roots before they could reach them.
The once-bright sky dimd.
Black clouds rolled in, blotting out the sun. Darkness fell once more.
A crushing field of invisible energy settled over the building, wrapping them in a suffocating net. The pressure in the air made it hard to breathe.
There was no escape now. No conventional strategy that could save them.
But Sora had seen this coming.
"Anna. Call him."
Anna nodded, raising the silver dallion around her neck high overhead.
The power within it had all but faded—but here, in this mont, its light still shone.
It was a beacon.
A signal to the strongest creature on this planet.
"ROAAAR!"
A deafening roar tore through the sky.
A massive figure crashed down from the clouds.
The crimson tendrils tried to intercept, but were shredded by the beast's descent. The shockwave from its landing blew back the poisonous winds.
The Doomsday Beast had returned.
With one enormous claw, it scooped Sora and the others up and launched skyward.
It was fast. Precise. As if they'd rehearsed this mont in advance.
"…So you planned for this," Anna said quietly.
"I wouldn't have co to a trap like this without an escape route."
A farewell banquet indeed—but not to bid him farewell from the planet.
It had been ant to send him off from life.
Zulo would never have let him leave.
So Sora had made preparations. Worked with Anna and the Doomsday Beast to activate the ship, load supplies, secure an exit plan.
And just like he predicted—everything played out.
He glanced down from the Doomsday Beast's claw.
The planet was changing.
The last traces of civilization were being erased.
Veins of deep red cracked across the surface, pulsing like living tissue.
The rumble of the earth mimicked a heartbeat.
Zulo's resurrection wasn't just underway—it was complete. The planet itself was waking.
"We're just going to watch it co back to life?" Ouja asked bitterly.
Was their ho really going to beco the cradle of a resurrected Lord Ravager?
Whenever people spoke of Zulo's return, they'd point to this world first.
It was disgusting.
"Isn't there any way to kill him here?" Her voice trembled with anger.
"Normally?" Robin answered. "No."
"The weapons on this planet aren't enough to bring him down."
Even though Zulo wasn't at full strength yet, Camille had nothing powerful enough to stop him.
In fact, very few weapons in the galaxy could directly confront a fully awakened Emanator of an Aeon.
Unless…
Unless they had sothing like the Imaginary Collapse Pulse—a superweapon developed by Seat 79 of the Genius Society, banned across all interstellar borders.
Sothing capable of vaporizing multiple star systems in one blow.
And Camille had nothing like that.
Robin's words made Ouja's heart sink.
The hope she'd carried into the farewell banquet had been steadily stripped away.
All she could do now was watch her planet turn into the enemy of civilization.
She was starting to understand the full weight of helplessness.
"…Who says it's impossible?"
Sora's voice pulled her back.
"Zulo will die today."
"…Wait, you an—"
BOOM!
A piercing blast tore through the clouds.
A beam of energy rained down, slamming into the planet's surface with cataclysmic force!
Ouja spun around.
Her jaw dropped.
The beam looked like divine punishnt—a lance from the heavens.
Where it struck, a crater ford, deeper than anything she'd ever seen. A mushroom cloud blood, blotting out the sky.
The entire world trembled.
Crimson vegetation wilted and burned.
The ground itself seed to writhe in pain.
And then—
"YOU AGAIN?!"
A furious roar shook the air.
The voice—Zulo's.
He'd fallen before because of these people.
And now they'd co again—like locusts, swarming down without warning.
Sora looked skyward.
Above them—ships.
Starships. Of all shapes and sizes. So barely big enough for one. Others like floating citadels.
The beam had co from one of the largest.
Robin gasped.
"That's the Guardian—a capital-class interstellar warship!"
She recognized it instantly.
The Guardian was one of the most expensive weapons sold by the Interastral Peace Corporation. It was said that a single ship could conquer an entire star system.
And now—it was here.
But Camille wasn't part of any galactic war zone.
So why…?
Her question was cut short—by more arrivals.
Ship after ship descended through the clouds. Smaller vessels, flanking the Guardian like an armada.
And then—
Communications flooded the channel.
[This is Boothill of the Dreamlight Star System's Galaxy Rangers—crossed 135 light-years to answer the call. Dammit, almost ran out of fuel. You guys bring enough?]
[This is Bard Eden from the Illusion Spiral Cluster—13 light-years traveled. Boothill, stop cursing. I'm translating your swears into bird chirps.]
[This is Martinus of the Dust Vortex Zone—48 light-years out. Bird Chirp Boothill! That's hilarious!]
[This is Gilly from Punklorde—247 light-years. Great ga idea: 'Angry Boothill.' Don't forget to support it, folks.]
[This is Ji Fu from Zhu Ming Xianzhou—325 light-years. I've got plenty of fuel. I'll share if anyone needs it.]
…
One after another, their voices ca in.
Strange nas. Strange places.
Ouja. Anna. Robin.
All of them stared, dumbfounded, as the communications scrolled past.
So had co from two light-years away. Others, from hundreds.
So were old friends, bantering across the void. Others barely exchanged greetings.
But all of them—
Every last one—
Had crossed the stars.
Not because they had to.
But because of a promise.
Sora glanced at the terminal.
The chatter continued like an old group chat that never died.
And he smiled.
"…Have you heard," he said softly, "of the Galaxy Rangers?"
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