[Steve’s PoV]
The endless darkness of the cosmos stretched in every direction like an ocean without a shore. Countless stars shimmered in the distance, forming rivers of light that curved through the void, while ahead of us a massive galactic disk rotated slowly.
Entire civilizations lived and died within that swirling sea of stars, completely unaware that two visitors had arrived at its doorstep.
I stood with my sword resting comfortably across my shoulder as I studied the galaxy before us. The atmosphere around us remained calm, but I could already feel the growing tension spreading through the surrounding space.
The galaxy knew we were here.
Or more specifically, it knew Vivi was here.
Beside me stood a young woman with flowing violet hair that drifted weightlessly around her despite the vacuum of space. Her violet eyes glowed softly, and a gentle warmth radiated from her presence that made it difficult to associate her with the terrifying force she truly represented.
To anyone else she would have looked like a beautiful young woman. To those who understood what they were seeing, however, she was far more frightening.
She was an entire galaxy. The living embodiment of the Blue Spiral Galaxy.
And she had come here to eat.
"So..." I finally said as I continued staring at the neighboring galaxy. "Are we absolutely sure this is a good idea?"
Vivi didn’t even bother looking at me.
"Yes."
"Without Billion?"
"Yes."
I scratched my cheek.
"Then why did you hide this fact from him? Let’s just wait for him to come back."
Vivi rolled her eyes.
"Steve, if we waited for Billion every time something dangerous needs to be done, nothing would ever get done."
"That’s not a logical argument."
"It is."
I pointed toward the galaxy ahead.
"We are literally standing outside another galaxy preparing to help you devour its core."
"Correct."
"A situation that sounds exactly like the kind of thing Billion usually handles."
She finally turned toward me.
"That is because Billion handles everything."
"Fair point."
Vivi crossed her arms.
"Billion left because he had things he needed to do. That doesn’t mean the rest of us are supposed to sit around waiting for him to come back."
The conviction in her voice was impossible to miss.
For a long time we had relied on Billion’s strength. Every major crisis eventually led back to him somehow. Every impossible enemy eventually became his problem.
That had changed. Or at least Vivi was trying to change it. The neighboring galaxy rotated slowly before us, its countless stars forming massive spirals of silver and emerald light.
The Emerald Horn Galaxy.
A relatively young galaxy located along the border of Blue Spiral territory.
More importantly, it was weaker. Not weak by normal standards. Just weaker than Vivi.
And that made it prey.
"You seem awfully confident," I said.
"I am confident."
"The galaxy core has already noticed us. Their strongest are still mobilizing."
"I noticed that too."
"There could be Saints waiting inside."
This finally earned a smile.
"I certainly hope there are."
I stared at her.
Vivi ignored me.
The surrounding space trembled faintly as enormous waves of essence began gathering deeper within the Emerald Horn Galaxy.
The galaxy was preparing for war.
Vivi watched everything calmly.
"The galaxy core itself isn’t the problem," I said after a while.
"It isn’t?"
"No."
I pointed toward the stars.
"The problem is all the supporters behind it. Galaxy cores rarely stand alone."
Vivi nodded.
"Steve, that’s why I brought you."
I immediately narrowed my eyes.
"Excuse me?"
She pointed at me.
"You and North and me."
Her smile widened.
"You and North handle the annoying flies."
"The annoying flies?"
"The other beings like the Saints and transcendents."
I nearly dropped my sword.
"The Saints are the flies?"
"Compared to a galaxy core?"
I opened my mouth. Then closed it again. Unfortunately, I did not have enough points to argue against that.
A Saint was terrifying. The galaxy core was terrifying as well.
Vivi stretched lazily.
"I’ll deal with the core. You and North deal with everything else."
"Naturally."
"And then we all go home."
I sighed.
Every single person close to Billion eventually developed this ridiculous confidence. Apparently it was contagious.
Speaking of confidence...
"Where is North anyway?"
Vivi glanced toward the galaxy.
"Working. North entered the galaxy several days ago."
"Several days?"
"She wanted to inspect their military forces."
"Alone."
"Of course."
I couldn’t even argue.
"Any reports?"
"A few."
Vivi smiled.
"She says the Saint is arrogant and like a dictator ruling the galaxy."
"That’s useful."
"She also says their security is terrible."
"More useful."
"And apparently she stole information on several of their strongest already."
I blinked.
"How?"
"She didn’t elaborate."
Before I could continue the conversation, the surrounding space suddenly shuddered.
The change was immediate.
Every trace of humor vanished.
A ripple spread through the void ahead of us, expanding outward like a stone thrown into still water. Space itself twisted and folded as enormous quantities of essence gathered in a single location.
The Emerald Horn Galaxy had finally decided to respond.
A colossal vortex erupted into existence. The dimensional disturbance expanded rapidly until it stretched across millions of kilometers.
Then something emerged.
I stared.
Then stared harder. Then glanced at Vivi.
Then looked back.
"A bull?"
The creature that stepped through the vortex was made entirely of green essence. Its body dwarfed planets. Its horns appeared large enough to pierce entire star systems, while rivers of green energy flowed through its translucent form.
The sheer power radiating from it was undeniable. It was the manifestation of the galaxy’s will.
The avatar of the Emerald Horn Galaxy Core.
And somehow... It was a bull.
I couldn’t help myself.
"A bull."
Vivi looked equally confused.
"A bull."
"Out of every majestic cosmic form imaginable..."
"A bull."
The giant essence beast snorted. The resulting shockwave shattered several nearby asteroids.
I immediately raised both hands.
"Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m not the one who chose the form."
More figures began emerging from the vortex. My relaxed expression gradually faded.
One...Ten...Fifty.
By the time the dimensional portal stabilized, more than fifty Transcendents stood behind the essence bull of all kinds of races.
Species I didn’t even recognize. And standing at the center of them all was a single elf.
Golden-haired and Golden-eyed.
Wrapped in white robes.
A Saint.
The pressure emanating from him washed across the surrounding void like a tidal wave.
The joking atmosphere disappeared entirely. For several seconds nobody moved.
The two sides simply observed one another. I lowered my sword from my shoulder.
Beside me, Vivi’s smile slowly returned.
"So."
I glanced toward her.
"So."
"How do you want to handle this?"
I looked at the bull.
"Honestly?"
"Honestly."
"I have absolutely no idea."
A soft laugh escaped her lips. The Saint took a step forward. The bull lowered its massive head.
Behind them, dozens of Transcendents prepared for battle.
The tension became almost tangible.
Vivi merely smiled.
"What do we do now?" I asked.
Her eyes gleamed.
"We fight hard."
Before I could reply, violet light exploded from her body.
Countless particles dispersed into the void like a storm of glowing embers. The young woman standing beside me vanished completely as her form unraveled into an ocean of violet flames.
The surrounding darkness ignited. The stars themselves seemed to dim.
Then something vast began to emerge. Wings unfolded across the heavens.
A cry echoed through the void. The scattered flames converged together, forming a creature so enormous that even the bull felt intimidated.
A colossal phoenix of violet fire spread its wings.
It looked ancient, majestic and terrifying. The true embodiment of the Blue Spiral Galaxy had finally revealed itself.