Cold, narrow steel warships were lined up neatly in space, their sheer numbers blotting out a portion of the starlit universe.
"Today marks the 600th anniversary of the establishment of the Earth Federation. Over these six centuries..." An impassioned voice echoed through every vessel. All the soldiers and officers aboard these ships, which were assembled for inspection, listened intently to the speech of their civilization's highest leader.
"What a stirring speech. It's a pity it'll be his last public address at an event like this. And this time, he probably won't get to finish his speech. What a shame, my dear Speaker," sneered Jorge Viotti as he watched the middle-aged man standing at the podium on the screen.
"The time is just about right. Send our esteemed Speaker's current coordinates," he instructed.
...
Above Pandora's atmosphere, on a hovering warship, a young female officer in a military uniform bowed respectfully before Muria.
"King Ul, it's time for you to act. Please prepare yourself, and shortly, aim your attack in the direction indicated by the guidance beam."
"I don't need your scrap metal for assistance. Just give me the Speaker's coordinates." Muria struggled to suppress an eye roll as he addressed the woman who, three months ago, had arrived to teach him cosmic navigation.
The people of Earth regarded him as a god but also as an inexperienced, primitive deity. Concerned that a simple set of coordinates might be insufficient, and doubtful he'd know how to interpret them for a precise, long-range strike, they had sent this woman, an expert in space positioning, to train him. To Muria, however, the entire situation was laughable.
Precision strikes on out-of-sight targets were basic skills for Titans, as their attacks often extended beyond visible range. In terms of knowledge, Muria was a university-level scholar compared to this woman's grade-school understanding. Her attempt to teach him felt as absurd as a child instructing an adult in basic multiplication.
Naturally, Muria had no patience for this misguided attempt. Though the woman was attractive by human standards, it was irrelevant to him; beauty could not replace practical use. The woman, however, mistook Muria's dismissal for ignorance and divine arrogance. Desperate, she had requested the installation of specialized guiding equipment to assist him.
Just then, her communicator beeped. Nervously, she tapped it, revealing a small screen displaying a brief set of coordinates.
"King Ul, I have the coordinates. Please, direct your attack toward the specified location."
Muria barely glanced at her and dismissed her presence. He had already observed the coordinates and calculated the precise distance between himself and the Speaker in terms of his own cosmic grid.
"Seraphim!" Muria called for his most resilient subordinate.
"Master!" The snake-bodied Seraphim slithered over, bowing low with the utmost reverence.
"Listen carefully to my commands. Stand straight, face southeast, and lift your head at a 36-degree angle…" Muria instructed Seraphim, guiding him to the warship's deck, adjusting his posture to face the dark void.
The ever-loyal Seraphim obeyed without hesitation, contorting his body exactly as Muria directed, even though he had no idea what Muria intended.
"This method won't work," the female officer said, half amused, half exasperated, as she watched Muria maneuver Seraphim. "We're too far from the target. Even the smallest deviation would make the attack ineffective! Please use the instruments."
Muria merely waved her off. "Throw her and her junk out."
The Phantom Knights, stationed in the cabin, obeyed immediately, ejecting both the officer and her complicated equipment.
"This god…" she muttered in frustration, landing with a sore backside. She had never been treated so rudely. "Without guided equipment, how could he possibly hit the Speaker at this range with just his own vision?"
Determined to prove Muria wrong, she regrouped with her team to set up the instruments outside, knowing her assignment demanded completion regardless of her bruised pride.
Meanwhile, Muria finished positioning Seraphim on the ship's deck.
"Perfect. Hold that stance and don't move," Muria said with satisfaction. He had no intention of making the attack himself, and bringing Seraphim out of his subspace was part of the plan.
"Now, channel all your power and form the strongest False God Flash possible. Fire it straight ahead, in the direction your head is facing."
"At your command!" Seraphim's transplanted bull horns glowed with a halo of arcane symbols. Between his horns, a tiny point of light appeared and quickly expanded into a brilliant white sphere, releasing an intense energy field that warped the surrounding space.
The warship's internal sensors began detecting Seraphim's power levels, and the crew stared in astonishment at the steadily rising values.
"Three hundred twenty thousand, three hundred fifty thousand… Is this a lifeform, or is there an error in the data?"
"Notice: data is accurate. At its current rate, this creature's power level will exceed the maximum threshold in approximately one minute and twenty-seven seconds!"
"Damn it, can't R&D make detectors that handle higher levels? Every time we encounter a high-level entity, the sensors max out!" cursed one officer.
"Note: According to classification, power levels between eight thousand and twelve thousand indicate a lord-class entity. Levels between eighty thousand and one hundred twenty thousand indicate a master-class entity.
"Research suggests that master-class creatures are the highest level on Pandora, and our detectors are capped at one million. There should be no reason for failure."
"This is beyond master-class, something on a whole new level. What could it be?"
While the officers argued over Seraphim's power, Muria, seeing that he was ready, ordered him to unleash the False God Flash.
A radiant white beam shot from Seraphim's horns into the dark void, illuminating a brilliant path across space as it entered a warp tunnel created by the ship's systems.
...
"Over the six hundred years since the establishment of our Earth Federation, we have faced countless challenges…" Earth's leader continued his speech aboard an enormous satellite city, a fortress designed for war.
Around the fortress, warships were stationed in neat rows, awaiting the Speaker's speech to conclude so they could begin the highly anticipated military parade.
On the farthest warship from the satellite, an alert blared from the ship's main console.
"Warning: super-powered attack detected. Evasive maneuvers immediately!"
A crimson message flashed urgently on the screen. Startled, the pilot didn't wait for the captain's orders, shifting the ship's position instantly.
As the ship veered, a blinding white beam grazed its outer armor, hurtling toward the densely packed fleet beyond.
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