The region of space around the mothership Ethos had turned into a battlefield.
Ahead of it floated the Harvester vessel.
It did not look mechanical. It was alive.
A colossal fusion of organic mass and dark matter, pulsing like a cosmic heart. Through his neural link, Aryan could feel its collective consciousness.
It was not just a ship.
It was a thinking entity.
Icarus spoke inside his mind.
Icarus said, "Aryan, its mass is thousands of times greater than ours. Direct combat probability is near zero."
Aryan remained calm.
Aryan said, "Mass is irrelevant. Everything is data. And every dataset has a corruption point."
His eyes glowed faintly as he began calculating.
He activated nano level deployment protocols.
Decompression chambers across Ethos opened simultaneously.
Billions of nanobots were released into vacuum space.
They spread like metallic mist toward the Harvester organism.
These were not ordinary machines.
Aryan had redesigned their logic gates to absorb dark matter vibration patterns.
As they made contact with the organic surface, Aryan executed his next command.
Singularity Protocol.
The nanobots began creating micro gravitational distortions inside the Harvester shield layer.
But the entity's defenses were immense.
Icarus issued another warning.
Icarus said, "Shield destabilization insufficient. Energy output required beyond ship capacity."
Aryan scanned the command deck slowly.
Crew members. Controlled guards. Scientists.
He spoke without hesitation.
Aryan said, "Then we generate more energy."
He ordered reactor overload.
To channel that energy, he required a biological conductor.
Doctor Waston, still barely alive after extraction, was dragged into the reactor interface chamber.
Waston struggled weakly.
Doctor Waston said, "Aryan... this is madness."
Aryan looked at him without emotion.
Aryan said, "Your life had purpose after all."
He activated the conversion sequence.
Waston's body was atomized into a fusion amplification matrix.
His biological energy was converted into a focused plasma surge.
Aryan merged that output with the overloaded reactor core.
He fired the beam directly at the Harvester's central mass.
The impact tore through space itself.
A fracture opened in the surrounding vacuum like cracked glass.
The organic vessel convulsed.
Its collective scream echoed through Aryan's neural systems.
It was the sound of countless civilizations ending.
Harvester Signal said, "You... have terminated a Harvester unit..."
Aryan watched the disintegration calmly.
Aryan replied, "Godhood is not size. It is control."
The massive organism collapsed inward, consumed by the singularity distortion his nanobots had created.
Within minutes, nothing remained but burning debris.
Then something unexpected emerged from the wreckage.
A small metallic cube drifted toward Ethos.
It entered through the docking field automatically and floated into Aryan's hand.
Its surface carried an engraved diagram.
It resembled an electronics circuit design.
Aryan touched it.
Instantly, a vision flooded his mind.
Not stars.
Not galaxies.
Source code.
Layered universal architecture.
Simulation frameworks.
At the bottom of that code was a signature.
Aryan G.
Project Head
Earth Simulation 2.0
His hand trembled for the first time.
Aryan whispered.
Aryan said, "I... created this?"
Memories flickered beyond his current life.
Designing intelligence models.
Building simulation ethics engines.
Embedding himself as a test subject.
He spoke to Icarus slowly.
Aryan said, "If I am the creator inside... then who is outside?"
Before Icarus could respond, a timer appeared across every display.
Return to Reality
00:59
Aryan stared at the countdown.
Understanding formed rapidly.
He was still inside a deeper loop.
A higher level Aryan was observing this entire ascent.
He smiled slowly.
Not with fear.
With excitement.
Aryan said, "So I'm fighting myself."
The timer continued dropping.
Aryan leaned back into the command throne.
Aryan said, "If I have to defeat the one outside... then I'll remove his playground."
His eyes darkened.
Aryan finished, "I'll delete the universe itself."
The countdown continued.
And somewhere beyond this layer of existence...
Another Aryan was watching.