The cavern's silence, deep and ancient, was shattered by Shirou's gasp. He jackknifed upright, hand clamped to his throbbing cheek, eyes wide with disorientation and lingering terror. The bioluminescent fungi cast long, shifting shadows on the damp stone walls, illuminating Shinji's impassive face and Merus's weary form leaning against the rock. "Um," Shirou rasped, voice raw, "Where am I?"
Shinji leaned forward, his stellar blue eyes glinting coldly in the dim light. The word dropped like a tombstone. "Hell."
Shirou blinked, trying to piece together fractured memories. The void, the impossible speed, the white-hot pain... "Wait... what happened before I got captured? Now..." He gestured vaguely at the cavern.
Shinji's lips quirked in a humorless half-smile. "I one-shot you."
Shirou's jaw slackened. "What the hell?! Didn't I beat you some months ago? How'd you get so strong???" The memory of their previous encounter, where Shinji had been formidable but beatable, clashed violently with the raw power that had just casually slapped him across dimensions. The disparity was staggering.
"I'm the one asking questions," Shinji countered, his voice low and dangerous, cutting through Shirou's disbelief. He took a step closer, the faint gold-green shimmer of Act 3 energy playing around his knuckles, a subtle, terrifying reminder. "Did you really help Amado? For money?"
Shirou swallowed, the mercenary pragmatism kicking in despite the fear. Survival first. "Oh, that blue guy? Yeah," he admitted, forcing a shrug. "Only wanted the Space Dust. Best payday on the board." His eyes darted between Shinji and Merus, calculating his odds.
Shinji studied him, the intensity in his gaze making Shirou shift uncomfortably. "Oh, I see..." Shinji murmured, the words slow, deliberate. "So... would you like to work for me? In exchange for some Space Dust?"
The offer hung in the damp air. Shirou's eyes narrowed. A lifeline? Or a deeper pit? "Bet!" he said quickly, the hunter's instinct for opportunity overriding caution. "Terms?"
Shinji's expression remained unreadable. "But I won't pay much... Probably around 10."
Shirou's hopeful expression crumpled into indignation. "Ten? Hah! Forget it! Not worth the dumbass headache you clearly bring!" He crossed his arms, trying to project defiance.
Shinji didn't argue. He simply unleashed. Not an attack, but a revelation. His spiritual energy, usually a contained furnace, erupted. It wasn't directed; it was a raw, unfiltered presence. The cavern walls trembled violently. Stalactites cracked, raining dust and glowing shards. The subterranean river churned and hissed. The very air screamed under the pressure, distorting light and threatening to tear the pocket dimension apart. Shirou was physically flattened against the stone floor, gasping, eyes bulging with primal terror. He felt insignificant, an insect beneath a descending god's foot. The sheer, terrifying scale of Shinji's power dwarfed anything Amado had hinted at.
"Conceal it, stupid Shinji!" Merus roared, his voice strained against the psychic and spatial maelstrom. He threw up a shimmering cerulean barrier, reinforcing the pocket dimension's integrity with desperate effort. "You'll collapse this sanctuary and alert half the cosmos!"
As swiftly as it had exploded, the pressure vanished. Shinji reined his energy back in, the cavern groaning as it settled. The air still crackled with residual power. Shirou lay trembling, sweat beading on his forehead, staring at Shinji like he'd seen the annihilation of his soul.
Shinji looked down at him, utterly calm. "So," he repeated, his voice deceptively mild after the cataclysm. "Will you work? Or not?"
Shirou couldn't find words. His throat was dry, his mind reeling. He managed a frantic, jerky nod.
Shinji nodded back. "I'll count this as approval." He turned towards Merus, who was panting, the strain of containing Shinji's outburst evident in the flickering light around him and the fresh trickle of luminous blood at his temple.
"This," Merus stated, his glacial eyes sharp with disapproval, "is quite the villainous move, Shinji. Coercion through overwhelming terror."
Shinji met his gaze, a flicker of something complex, perhaps guilt, perhaps grim necessity in his stellar eyes. "And by the way," he added, turning back to the still-shaken Shirou, "I'll be paying 100 Space Dust. I was joking about the 10."
Shirou blinked, confusion warring with the residual terror. "Huh? I was... I was going to work for 10 anyway. Why bump it to 100?" The sudden generosity felt like a trap.
Shinji's lips curved into that cold, dangerous smile again. "Because paying peanuts feels too much like I'm actually the wicked villain Amado claims I am. Paying well? That just makes me a dangerous employer." The logic was twisted, pragmatic, and utterly Shinji.
Shirou stared, then managed a weak chuckle. "Well... according to the guy that hired me, you were a villain. Big time."
Shinji's playful demeanor vanished instantly. His eyes narrowed. "Huh?! So he told you things?" He took a step closer, the air chilling again. "What did he exactly say?"
Merus pushed off the wall, his gaze intense. "Yes, Shirou. Details. What narrative is Saganbo spinning?"
Shirou hesitated, the mercenary code warring with self-preservation. He glanced at Shinji's clenched fists. "Sorry, guys. Client confidentiality. He's a paying customer... was... I don't reveal secrets."
Shinji moved faster than Shirou could track. He was suddenly inches away, his hand not raised to strike, but radiating palpable menace. "Talk," Shinji hissed, the word vibrating with lethal intent, "Or I'll kill you. Right here. Right now. The 100 Dust buys your service, not your silence on this."
Shirou paled. The terror Shinji had inspired moments ago was nothing compared to the focused, deadly promise in his eyes now. He swallowed hard. "Alright! Alright! Since you're paying the 100... He said you were a villain. Said you were strong enough to defy gods and break the universe's balance. Chaos incarnate. And he... he claimed he was a 'Servant of God', tasked with restoring order. That was the gist. Made you sound like the ultimate final boss delinquent type." He shuddered. "Guess he wasn't entirely wrong about the power part."
Merus closed his eyes, a deep weariness settling over him. "He must have told this to everyone in the cosmos. Broadcast it far and wide. Turning you into the multiversal bogeyman, Shinji. Justifying any hunt, any atrocity, in the name of 'order'."
Shinji stepped back, the killing intent receding, replaced by a grim understanding. The weight of being the 'Enemy of the Cosmos' settled even heavier. "I see..." he murmured, running a hand through his hair. "That's... quite rough. Makes hiding a lot harder."
Shirou gingerly got to his feet, brushing rock dust off his armor. "So... uh... what's my mission, Boss? Earning that sweet 100 Dust."
Shinji blinked, momentarily distracted from the cosmic propaganda. "Oh, yeah. What was the mission you assigned me, Merus? Before the whole... galactic annihilation thing?"
Merus stared at him, incredulity warring with exasperation. "Huh?! You will make him do your job? Shinji, the fate of existence hangs in the balance!"
Shinji shrugged, a flicker of his old, careless defiance surfacing. "Yup! Delegation. He needs to earn his keep. We need to strategize. Win-win."
Merus pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. "You... are truly unreliable." He focused on Shirou, his voice shifting to brisk command. "Very well. You will go to the 10th Universe. Specifically, the 18th Galaxy, 35th Planet. Locate a species called the Gorogilians. They are large, aggressive, barbaric creatures, apex predators on their volcanic world. Your objective: retrieve a viable blood sample. A vial will suffice."
Shirou's eyes lit up with professional interest. "I see. So a killing mission? I'm a specialist at those." He patted his rifle.
"Precisely," Merus confirmed. "Given their nature and the threat they pose to any intruder, lethal force is authorized and likely necessary. Just ensure you bring me a clean sample. Avoid excessive contamination."
Shirou snapped off a mock salute. "Roger that, Consider it done." He checked his rifle, his movements efficient and confident now that he had a concrete, familiar task. With a final glance at Shinji; a mix of lingering fear and newfound wariness; Shirou activated a small device on his wrist. Space rippled around him, and he vanished, leaving the cavern silent once more.
Merus slumped back against the wall, the brief flare of command fading. "That leaves us on a knife's edge, Shinji. Amado... he didn't just turn the cosmos against us. He orchestrated it perfectly. Every bounty hunter, every paranoid system lord, every zealot believing Saganbo's gospel... they'll all be hunting you."
Shinji stared at the spot where Shirou had disappeared, his expression unreadable. "Yeah," he breathed, a hint of reluctant admiration in his voice. "He really is amazing. The way he moves, plans... toys with everything."
Merus frowned sharply. "Are you a fan of him, Shinji? He nearly erased Earth! He obliterated a galaxy to test you!"
Shinji met his gaze, his stellar eyes holding a depth of cold realization. "Fan? No. But he toyed with me completely, Merus. Like I was nothing. A bug under a microscope he's using." He clenched his fist, the gold-green energy flickering briefly. "He really is on a whole different level compared to me right now. Making the likes of Khoseph look like warm-up. Understanding that... it's not admiration. It's just... a fact."
Merus saw the steely resolve beneath the grim acknowledgment. "I see," he said softly.
"But," Shinji continued, straightening his shoulders, the weariness momentarily banished by fierce determination, "I need to keep moving forward. Standing still... waiting to be found... that's death. I can't afford to stop here."
"Of course you shouldn't," Merus agreed, a flicker of pride warming his icy gaze despite the dire circumstances. "Forward is the only path."
Shinji nodded, then frowned. "By the way, Merus... what are you doing with the Gorogilian blood sample? Doesn't seem like top priority for the 'Enemy of the Cosmos'."
Merus offered a cryptic, almost sly smile, a rare expression on his usually stoic face. "Dunno," he said lightly, pushing off the wall and moving towards the deeper shadows of the cavern. "You might just see how useful it turns out to be... soon enough. Focus on staying alive until then."
Meanwhile: The 2772nd Universe - Hunting Grounds
The swirling nebula gases of the 2472nd painted the void in hues of violet and emerald. Torento zipped through the cosmic dust like an excited hornet, his blue armor gleaming, hazel eyes scanning star systems with manic intensity. "Alright!" he chirped, vibrating with anticipation. "This sector feels ripe! We'll pinpoint him nice and quick! Snatch and grab before lunch!"
Nirvana floated beside him, radiating icy disapproval. Her pink hair seemed almost luminescent against the dark nebula, her intelligent brown eyes missing nothing but currently fixed on Torento with profound annoyance. "It won't be so simple, you hyperactive gnat!" she snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut diamond. "Will you work your single brain cell? He defeated Khoseph. And given the energy signature Amado reported, he's likely grown even stronger since then!"
Torento spun mid-void, puffing out his chest. "Pfft! Khoseph? Spatial tricks are flashy, but I'm way stronger! Raw power, baby!" He flexed an armored arm.
Nirvana's glare could have frozen a star. "Stop being a cocky, idiotic child! You're weak compared to the variables at play!"
Torento froze, his grin vanishing. "Huuuh?!" His voice dropped, laced with sudden, dangerous offense. "What was that, you bit-"
He never finished. Nirvana didn't move, but the space around Torento contracted violently. It wasn't an attack, but a warning; a sudden, crushing pressure that squeezed his armor and stole his breath. Her eyes, usually sharp and calculating, blazed with cold, terrifying fury.
Torento gasped, the color draining from his face. The raw, unadulterated power radiating from her was a stark, humiliating reminder of her rank and lethality. "O-oh! S-Sorry about that, ma'am!" he stammered, the bravado utterly gone, replaced by genuine fear. He forced a shaky smile. "I mean... you're extremely... uh... charming, you know? Yeah! Charming!"
Nirvana's fury didn't abate; it intensified, focusing into a laser point. "Say something that insipid again," she hissed, each word dripping with venom, "and you are functionally done. Am I understood?"
Torento trembled visibly, nodding like a bobblehead. "Y-Yeah! Sure! Absolutely, ma'am! Charm... bad! Silence... good!" He immediately pointed his sensors away from her, focusing intently on a distant star cluster, his earlier energy replaced by jittery obedience.
Meanwhile: Suchumus; The South
The tranquility of the Southern Village was obliterated in an instant. An Explosion. A sphere of pure force, kilometers wide, slammed into the heart of Yoraseeh's village. There was no fire, no debris flying. Stone, flesh, spirit energy, everything within the sphere simply destroyed. One moment, a thriving settlement nestled against the rugged mountains; the next, a perfectly smooth, hemispherical crater of glassy rock, steaming under Suchumus's twin suns. Silence, heavier than stone, followed the absence of sound.
From the epicenter of annihilation, a figure stepped onto the glassy rim. Dentetsu. Spiky dark hair framed a face of brutal confidence. Brown eyes, devoid of empathy, scanned the devastation with mild interest. He wore only slim-fit chinos, his torso bare, revealing a physique sculpted from pure, terrifying power - thick cords of muscle layered over an inhumanly dense frame, radiating an aura of contained destruction. He looked less like a soldier, more like a force of nature given humanoid form.
Yoraseeh, thrown clear by the blast wave but seared and bleeding, dragged himself up from the rubble at the crater's edge. His village, his people... gone. Erased. Rage and horror warred in his eyes as he faced the architect of the apocalypse. "Who... who the hell are you, bastard?" he choked out, blood spattering the glassy ground. "Having the guts... to destroy my home!!"
Dentetsu turned, his gaze settling on Yoraseeh like a scientist finding an interesting insect. "Oh, me?" His voice was a deep rumble, casual, almost bored. "I'm Dentetsu. A simple Monarch. Looking for some decent competition. This planet," he gestured vaguely at the mountains, the sky, "opposed him. Saganbo. That takes guts and I like it."
Yoraseeh spat blood. "Don't you dare underestimate us! Just because we're hidden from the eyes of arrogant gods doesn't make us weak! I will destroy you, Henchman of God!!" Grief and fury coalesced into raw power. Yoraseeh erupted forward, pouring every ounce of his being into a single, desperate punch aimed at Dentetsu's impassive face. It was the strike of a man with nothing left to lose, fueled by the annihilation of everything he loved.
It connected with a sound like a mountain striking bedrock.
Dentetsu didn't flinch. His head moved perhaps a millimeter. He looked down at Yoraseeh's fist pressed against his jaw, then back into the Suchumian's eyes, a flicker of disappointment replacing the mild interest. "That's... great," he rumbled, the praise utterly hollow. "You're quite strong, little guy. For a mortal." He paused. "However... not strong enough to entertain me, I guess. Heck, not even strong enough to withstand my Spiritual Energy if I do decide to unleash it. Pity."
Before Yoraseeh could react, before he could even process the insult, a blur of motion. Not Dentetsu. His elite guards, survivors of the initial blast who had rushed to their leader's defense, were simply gone. Erased mid-stride, leaving faint afterimages that dissolved into the heated air as ashes. Dentetsu hadn't seemed to move his main body. Of course he wouldn't seem to have done so. The speed at which he does things wouldn't be perceivable by beings of Suchumus.
"How impolite," Dentetsu sighed, as if swatting flies. "Why disturb someone in the middle of a conversation..." He turned his full attention back to Yoraseeh, who stood frozen, fist still extended, his face a mask of shock and primal terror. The casual eradication of his strongest warriors broke something in him.
Dentetsu took a step closer. "I landed just in this region," he stated, his brown eyes boring into Yoraseeh's, "because the strongest energy signature on this whole rock is coming from right here." He tapped his own temple. "Especially from you, little guy. My instincts... they pinpoint the apex predator, and they're never wrong."
Yoraseeh's terror warred with a desperate, fleeting hope. "M-Me?" he stammered. "But... you see... I'm not even the strongest on this planet! Sorry to disappoint-"
Dentetsu's expression hardened, the casual boredom replaced by sudden, chilling finality. "Well then," he interrupted, his voice dropping an octave, resonating with destructive intent, "guess I'll just destroy the whole place without any competition. Waste of-"
"WAIT!" Yoraseeh screamed, the lie crumbling under the imminent threat to his entire world. "WAIT! I was joking! Just... just a bad joke!"
Dentetsu paused, the killing intent receding slightly, replaced by cold amusement. "Yeah," he said, a cruel smirk touching his lips. "I was joking as well. Because I'm absolutely certain... you are the strongest here." He took another step, looming over Yoraseeh. "My instinct is infallible. No need for false modesty before the end. I've finished eight planets in the 11th Universe, five in the 4th... even two in this one before bothering with this backwater. You're the peak. Act like it. Even though being the peak and still falling short to do anything isn't really that great."
The last shred of hope died in Yoraseeh. There was no escape, no deception. Only fight. "THEN I'LL JUST HAVE TO TAKE YOU DOWN QUICKLY!" he roared, channeling his despair into furious power.
Yoraseeh's eyes glowed. An invisible wave of pure telekinetic force slammed into Dentetsu, not to harm, but to stun, to lock every molecule in place for a fraction of a second. It was his ultimate opening gambit, perfected over decades.
Simultaneously, Yoraseeh gathered every shred of his formidable spiritual energy into a searing point before his palms. Not a beam, but a contained sphere of pure annihilation, the culmination of his life's power. He thrust it forward, aiming point-blank at Dentetsu's stunned chest. The light was blinding, the heat incinerating the glassy rock at his feet. He poured everything into it, knowing it was likely futile but determined to leave a mark. It won't kill him... but maybe... maybe it will burn him. Make him remember this place. *Make him bleed, you bastard!*
The light faded. The smoke cleared.
Dentetsu stood exactly where he had been. Unmoved. Unscorched. Unimpressed. Not a singe mark on his chinos, not a hair out of place on his spiky head. He yawned, stretching his massive arms wide. "Man," he rumbled, the disappointment profound. "I overestimated you dudes quite a lot. Especially after you realize this planet weakens me as well." He looked directly at Yoraseeh, whose face was a rictus of utter disbelief and dawning horror. "You didn't stand a chance at all." Dentetsu sighed, a sound like grinding continents. "Guess I'll just finish the job. Wipe this rock clean and find a planet with actual fighters."
He raised a hand, energy beginning to coalesce, energy that promised planetary extinction.
"Not so fast!"
The voice cut through the desolate silence of the crater, sharp, commanding, and laced with righteous fury. It came from behind Dentetsu.
The Monarch lowered his hand slowly, the nascent destruction flickering out. He turned, a spark of genuine interest finally igniting in his brown eyes. Standing on the glassy rim, silhouetted against the setting suns, was a figure clad in a worn, hooded brown cape that obscured their features entirely. They radiated an aura of contained power and fierce resolve.
Dentetsu tilted his head, a predator assessing new prey. "And who," he asked, his voice a deep rumble that vibrated the air, "might you be, meddling in my business?"
The caped figure didn't flinch. "A Saviour!" The declaration rang out, clear and defiant.
Dentetsu chuckled, a low, dangerous sound. "Which kind of Saviour are you? The kind that lasts five seconds? I already squashed this planet's 'strongest'. I left a memo for you right here." He gestured dismissively towards the spot where Yoraseeh had stood. Now dead, cut in half without the saviour even realizing it.
"I just arrived," the Saviour retorted, voice tight with anger beneath the hood. "I'm not from here. And I won't let you ravage it so simply, puny Monarch! I protect the order of the universe!"
"Puny?" Dentetsu's amusement vanished, replaced by a flash of genuine offense, quickly morphing into fierce interest. "Oh? Righteous and delusional? I like it! State your name, Mister Saviour! Let's see if it's worth remembering before I erase it."
The figure drew themselves up, radiating defiance. The hood shadowed their face, but the intensity of their gaze could be felt. "I am the one who will tear down Saganbo's tyranny! I am Kyusei! And I won't lose to a mere soldier playing at godhood!"
Dentetsu's eyes widened slightly. Not at the threat to Saganbo, but at the name. And the knowledge it implied. "Kyusei...? You know about Saganbo?" His voice held a new edge, a mix of surprise and intense scrutiny. "Intriguing." He cracked his neck, a grin spreading across his face; the grin of a hunter who had a point to prove. "Well, Kyusei, let's clear something up. I'm not a 'mere soldier'." He slammed a fist into his open palm with a sound like a tectonic plate shifting. "One day? I plan to take Saganbo down and become the true God of Destruction myself! Saganbo's just the stepping stone and he fucking knows that himself!" Power erupted from him, not the casual display used on Yoraseeh, but a focused, annihilating pressure that made the glassy crater floor crack anew. "Consider this your audition! Let's see if you're salvage material... or just scrap! You wannabe Saviour."