The void remained quiet for several seconds after the blast faded.
The debris, the soldiers, even the massive Feron commander had vanished completely as if they had never existed. Xeron kept staring at the empty space for a moment longer before slowly exhaling.
"You really have become terrifying," he muttered.
Then his gaze shifted back to me. The shock in his eyes had already faded, replaced by curiosity.
I crossed my arms and looked at him calmly.
"Since we’re being honest with each other now," I said, "tell me something."
Xeron raised an eyebrow.
"What do you want to know?"
"You Nagas sit at the top of the food chain in this galaxy," I said. "Your fleets are everywhere. Your influence touches almost every major civilization."
I gestured slightly toward the surrounding space.
"So what exactly is your position in all this?"
His eyes narrowed slightly as he listened.
"If my Order continues expanding," I continued, "will the Naga Empire move against us?"
The question hung in the air.
"And more importantly," I added, "where does your loyalty lie?"
Xeron watched me silently for several seconds.
Then he laughed softly.
"That is quite the direct question."
"Well," I said, "you’ve already read half my life through Dante’s memories. I think we’re past being subtle."
He nodded slightly.
"Fair enough."
Xeron stepped forward and rested one hand behind his back as he looked out into the endless void.
"The Naga race is powerful in this galaxy, yes," he said calmly. "But we are not rulers of it."
His voice remained measured.
"Our strength comes from stability. We maintain balance between the major factions so the galaxy does not descend into chaos."
I watched him closely.
"If a single power grows too dominant," he continued, "others will naturally rise against it. The Nagas rarely interfere directly unless the balance itself is threatened."
He turned his head slightly toward me.
"So if your Order of Absolute continues growing?"
He shrugged.
"Most likely the Nagas will simply observe."
"Observe?" I repeated.
"Yes," he replied. "You are not destabilizing the galaxy. In fact, from our perspective you are doing something quite useful."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Cleaning up Eternals, Rifts and Hollow Star’s mess."
That answer was... unexpected.
Xeron smiled faintly.
"Hollow Star has been a thorn in many sides for a long time."
He paused before continuing.
"But you asked where my loyalty lies."
Now his gaze became more serious.
"I am still a Naga general. My duty is to the Naga civilization."
Then a small smile appeared again.
"But I am also a fragment of Dante."
His golden eyes met mine.
"And Dante believed in you. So if the day ever comes," I said slowly, "when the Naga Empire decides the Order of Absolute has grown too dangerous?"
Xeron did not hesitate.
"Then I will do my duty."
He paused.
"But..."
A faint grin appeared on his face.
"I suspect that by the time such a day comes," Xeron said calmly, "you will already have enough strength to stand toe to toe with the Nagas. And if that happens... diplomacy will be the only option left."
I smirked slightly.
"Makes sense."
I looked at him again.
"So how powerful is your Matriarch? Is she a Saint?"
"Wow," he said with a grin. "Look at you. Already trying to extract all the details about the Naga race."
I didn’t reply. I just kept staring at him.
After a moment he sighed.
"Yes," he said. "She is a Saint. The only Saint in this galaxy."
He glanced out into the void before continuing.
"Everyone else is like you and me. Standing on the threshold... but unable to move forward."
"Why?" I asked.
"Many reasons," Xeron replied.
"Some simply don’t want to advance. Becoming a Saint is a dangerous process. The risk of failure is very real."
He began counting on his fingers.
"Some never meet the necessary criteria. Some fail the final quest required for ascension. And some..."
He shrugged.
"...just don’t want the responsibility."
"Why would anyone refuse that kind of power?" I asked.
"Because becoming a Saint changes your role in existence."
His expression turned serious.
"When you become a Saint, you become part of the vanguard against the Eternals."
He looked directly at me.
"You’ve heard about the high-level rifts, haven’t you? The ones capable of destroying entire galaxies."
I nodded slowly.
"Well," he said quietly, "when those rifts open... who do you think stands there holding the line?"
"The Saints."
The answer hung heavily in the air.
After a moment I nodded again.
"So your Matriarch is the only Saint in this galaxy," I said. "And yet the Ferans still dare to challenge the Nagas."
"Of course they do," Xeron replied immediately.
"They have the Griffins backing them. Griffins have multiple Saints within their race. Just none stationed in this particular galaxy."
I crossed my arms.
"Then the Nagas should have Saints elsewhere too, right?"
"We do," he replied. "But Nagas don’t go around interfering in other galaxies or poking into other people’s affairs."
His tone was casual.
"Our race generally prefers stability and peace."
Then he snorted slightly.
"It’s the Griffins and the Dragons who love setting everything on fire."
I gave him a sideways look.
"What’s your original race?" I asked.
Xeron looked at me for a second.
Then suddenly burst into loud laughter.
"What makes you think I would tell you that?" he said between laughs. "Dante didn’t even show you his real face."
He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
"It’s my biggest secret, kid."
He paused, then looked at me again with an unusually serious expression.
"My biggest secret."
And then he started laughing again.
Something about the way he said that unsettled me slightly.
"Alright," I said dryly. "No need to laugh that much."
I gestured toward the base behind me.
"Anyway, this base is under my control now, General Xeron. You can take your people and return to wherever you came from."
He slowly stopped laughing and looked at me again.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he said. "This base is under your control."
Then his eyes sharpened slightly.
"But what about Hollow Star’s headquarters? Why don’t you share that with us?"
I frowned slightly.
"Why would I share it? That’s my spoil of war. I’ll be keeping it."
Xeron clicked his tongue.
"Come on, Billion. Your goal should be the Prime Galaxy. There’s nothing here that should matter that much to you. Maintaining an organization like this won’t be very useful in the long run."
"Of course it’s useful," I replied calmly. "What if the races of this galaxy unite against me one day? What would I do then?"
Xeron snorted.
"If all the races unite against you, this little organization won’t save you anyway."
He leaned slightly closer.
"Listen to me, kid. If you share it with us, I can bring you many benefits."
I simply shook my head.
"No benefit you offer is worth that, General. I’m not sharing it."