Robot? Why robots? And not just robots—humanoid robots! Even if they were only humanoid robots, that would still be strange… but why are there also giant dragons? Dinosaurs? And wasn't Colonel Quaritch already dead? Why did he show up alive and well again? And those warships—they clearly weren't Federation warships. Even the flag they raised wasn't the Federation's flag.
What in the world is happening here?
Late at night, in the Na'vi homeland, Jake Sully sat by the fire, his face heavy with worry and doubt.
These were all the questions he had after leading the ikran riders to the front lines earlier that day, when they spied on the newly arrived "Sky People" camp.
Just like Colonel Quaritch, Jake Sully had once been a member of the United States Marine Corps back on Earth. His paralysis had been caused by injuries he suffered in combat.
Because of that, Jake knew the Federation military very well. This was also why he had dared to lead the Na'vi against Quaritch before—he understood that while RDA's security forces were advanced compared to the Na'vi, they were still nowhere near the level of the real Federation army.
But from his observation today, the newly arrived fleet was clearly even more advanced than the Earth Federation's.
Those humanoid robots and the powerful energy weapons they carried were far beyond anything the Federation military possessed.
The Federation never had humanoid robot armies.
Just thinking about that huge robot army made Jake feel restless.
To fight steel bodies with nothing but flesh and blood… even a fool would understand how hopeless that was.
That was why, earlier in the day, he had refused to listen to the other Na'vi when they suggested attacking the Sky People while the planet's beasts were in full revolt.
And he was very glad he made that choice… because soon after, the enemy fleet carried out saturation bombing of Pandora. (TL/N: Carpet bombing, also known as saturation bombing, is a large area bombardment done in a progressive manner to inflict damage in every part of a selected area of land. The phrase evokes the image of explosions completely covering an area, in the same way that a carpet covers a floor.)
If he had agreed to attack then, he probably wouldn't even be alive to sit here now.
But that was all he knew for sure. At this moment, he had no idea how to face what was coming next.
"Jake, why aren't you resting?" Neytiri's voice came from behind him as he sank deeper into his thoughts.
"I can't sleep… We're facing the greatest trial we've ever had, and I don't know what to do…" Jake sighed.
"Don't worry, Jake. If you could lead us to one victory, you can lead us to another. You are Toruk Makto," Neytiri encouraged him.
"No, Neytiri. This time is different. Today you saw it yourself—the soldiers of the Sky People were robots. Do you know what that means? They're soldiers made of metal. Puppets that never tire, never fear death, and can keep fighting as long as they have energy. Even if only their head remains, they can still attack! And you saw it—these newcomers have no hesitation. They use their fleets to bombard us from orbit. We won't even get the chance to fight back!" Jake shook his head, his voice rising with emotion.
Hearing his words, Neytiri fell silent.
Her mind replayed the hellish scene of the bombardment she had witnessed that day. Fear crept into her heart.
During the last war with humans, she had endured the bombing ordered by Colonel Quaritch and his RDA forces. But compared to what she had seen today… that past battle seemed like nothing more than a tribal skirmish.
This time, it was a world war.
"I understand, Jake… but I still believe in you." Neytiri's heart was full of fear for the future, but she still tried to encourage him.
"But I can't believe in myself…" Jake Sully said in a low, defeated voice. "And you saw it too—Quaritch and the beast he rode. That was a dragon… a creature that should only exist in legends. Even Toruk itself could not stand against it!"
Neytiri wanted to say more, but suddenly, a sharp whistle cut through the night inside the clan.
Jake and Neytiri stood up at once.
An alarm!
Were the Sky People attacking?
But very quickly they realized what had really happened.
It was two human scientists, who had once chosen to side with the Na'vi, trying to escape.
And where would they run to? That went without saying… but they hadn't gotten far before the Na'vi sentries caught them.
The two were soon dragged before Jake.
"Norm…" Jake sighed when he saw the familiar face of his old companion.
"I'm sorry, Jake… I didn't want this, but I really don't want to die…" said Norm, bowing his head under Jake's gaze.
Jake didn't say much. He understood what Norm was thinking.
These people had once been like him—sympathetic to the Na'vi, disgusted by their own people's slaughter of the natives, and so they had chosen to help. But that choice had been made in the heat of anger, not in cold reason.
Now, faced with overwhelming power and certain death, fear naturally returned.
For some to turn traitor was not surprising.
"Let them go," Jake sighed again, giving his order.
At his words, Norm and his companion both breathed out in relief.
"Jake, they are traitors!" Neytiri protested sharply, and around them the other Na'vi wore the same look of disapproval.
"…They helped us before. They never harmed us, did they?" Jake answered helplessly.
"Hmph!" Neytiri could not out-argue him. The Na'vi were too straightforward for that. She only let out a cold snort, showing her displeasure, but said no more.
"Jake, I don't want this to happen again. If it does, the people will truly start to doubt you." After the two were released, Neytiri spoke again, calmer but still firm.
"I understand. There won't be a second time… But Neytiri, have you ever thought about moving away?" Jake nodded, then gave a suggestion that shocked her deeply.
"Jake, do you even know what you're saying?" Neytiri nearly exploded on the spot. "We chose you as our leader to guide us to victory, not to abandon everything we are!"
"I know that. But you saw the bombardment today. We have no chance of winning. All we can do is survive." Jake's voice was filled with helplessness.
"But this is our home! We will never, ever leave it!" Neytiri shouted angrily before storming away.
For now, she and Jake were only lovers. It was far from the point where she would abandon her whole world just to follow him.
Watching Neytiri's back as she left, Jake Sully's face was full of sorrow.
Must we really just wait for death? God… You gave me a second chance at life—why do You now want to take it away?
But what Jake Sully did not know was that what lay ahead of him was far more terrifying than anything he had imagined.
And the true source of it was not his old enemy—once Colonel Quaritch, now General Quaritch—but Josh, from another universe.
——
Earth, Fuerteventura Island, the resting place of Tiamut.
Once again, Josh descended deep underground to meet the Celestial Tiamut.
"Josh, why did you wake me?" Tiamut's lazy voice echoed in his mind, stirred by the cosmic power that flowed through him from her.
"Mother, I have something I wish to ask you," Josh said respectfully. Though he was a traveler from another world, he always held deep reverence for this selfless Celestial. (TL/N: The author has been referring to Tiamut as the Great Mother of Earth so far, but I replaced it with Tiamut. That's why he is calling her "mother" here.)
"Speak." Tiamut did not refuse.
"Please, check these two things." Josh drew from his Inventory two objects—a dried, withered branch and the skull of some great beast.
"What do you wish to ask?" Tiamut said.
"Can you sense the special nature within them?" Josh asked.
"Of course. In both, I feel the aura of other Celestials… No, not exactly. It is something very much like us. The branch carries a strong presence. And it is not the first time I have felt it—your followers from that other land carry the same aura. They all must come from the same place. Yet this branch has been tainted by a dark power. As for the beast's skull, the aura within it is far weaker."
Tiamut answered quickly.
"You are right. The branch and my followers do come from the same place. And yes, it has been corrupted by a dark force. But if you already knew this, why didn't you ask me sooner?" Josh could not help but ask.
The followers Tiamut referred to were, of course, the elves and trolls Josh had brought from Azeroth. And the branch in his hand now came from Northrend's felled World Tree, Andrassil. The skull belonged to a toruk—the great leonopteryx—from Pandora.
Josh had brought these items here to confirm whether Tiamut could sense the faint trace of planetary consciousness within them—something almost impossible to detect.
Through the words of the two tauren he had questioned before, Josh had already confirmed that Pandora, like Azeroth, had a planetary soul. But on his own, he lacked the power to sense it directly.
So naturally, he turned to Tiamut, who herself was such a being.
Her reply confirmed his suspicions.
Beings like Tiamut, Azeroth, and Pandora could easily recognize one another's aura.
It even made him think of Ego, Star-Lord's father from the Guardians of the Galaxy—his choice of which worlds to consume clearly hadn't been random at all.
"I thought you didn't want others to know this truth," Tiamut said gently, answering his question.
Josh was moved by her words.
As expected of the Celestial—so understanding, so kind.
But even so, it still didn't explain why Pandora's planetary spirit was so furious.
So Josh described in detail the worldwide upheaval taking place on Pandora.
"It is fear," Tiamut said after a moment of silence. "That world-soul you call Azeroth—I don't have many examples to compare it with, but I can still sense its strength. If it were ever fully born, its power would rank among the strongest of the Celestials. But the soul of this world you call Pandora… is pitifully weak. If the two ever met, Azeroth could devour Pandora with ease. So Pandora trembles in fear."
At her words, Josh suddenly understood.
The upheaval on Pandora was because it sensed the threat of Azeroth.
But Pandora was clearly worrying too much. Azeroth couldn't possibly break through the walls between universes to bully it in the Avatar world.
Knowing the reason, Josh felt relieved.
In the future, he only needed to be a little more careful whenever he came across a world with a planetary soul.
As for why Tiamut herself felt no fear of Azeroth's presence—that was simple enough.
She had only said that once Azeroth was born, its power would rank among the top Celestial—she never said it would surpass her.
And besides, there were thousands of Celestials. Azeroth was just one. Even counting Titans, The Eternal Ones, and Elune, they wouldn't amount to a fraction of the Celestials' strength.
The Celestials always valued their own kin. Naturally, Tiamut had no reason to fear Azeroth.
By all rights, the matter should have ended there.
But Tiamut's next words set Josh's thoughts racing.
"Still, though Pandora's soul is weak… for you, right now, it is just right," she said just as Josh was preparing to leave.
"Huh? Just right for me? I don't really understand what you mean." Josh blinked in surprise.
"Your power has already reached a bottleneck. To grow any further is nearly impossible… As for the Infinity Stones, they are useful, but in the end, they are only external power."
"…I still don't fully understand," Josh swallowed. He already had a faint guess, but he couldn't be sure.
"Do you wish to truly become one of the Celestials, my child?" Tiamut asked gently. "If you can seize the essence of Pandora's world-soul, I can grant you the final transformation."
"This… is that really possible?" Josh asked, stunned, though his earlier guess had just been confirmed.
"Why not? Do not worry—after all, Pandora is not one of the Celestials, is it?"
Tiamut, merciful toward humans and caring toward her own kind, felt nothing for a mere imitation of a Celestial. Destroying such a being to strengthen her child, while also strengthening the Celestial race as a whole, was only natural.
And this attitude explained why Pandora had felt such terror in sensing Azeroth.
A world-soul was not automatically kin—only something similar, and similarity did not mean recognition.
But still… "Why not Azeroth?" Josh couldn't help asking.
"…Can you even take it?" Tiamut replied calmly.
Uh… no. He really couldn't.
Even if Josh helped Abbendis unite all of Azeroth, he still couldn't touch Azeroth. That world had Titans, Eternals, Elune, and others standing by its side.
Yeah… better not mess with that.
Compared to the deeply-rooted Azeroth, Pandora was…
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