The enormous blue serpent hovered before us, its vast body coiling through the void in slow motion. Each shift of its form bent the surrounding space as if gravity itself answered to it. The single horn on its head carried a faint glow, sharp and condensed, while its gaze remained fixed... not on me, but on Vivi.
I understood it immediately. This was not arrogance. To it, I simply did not exist.
"Billion..." Vivi’s voice echoed softly through our link.
"I know," I replied.
Before anything else could be said, a pulse spread from the serpent. It wasn’t an attack, but something far more primitive. A form of communication, raw and unrefined, driven by instinct rather than thought.
"Surrender. Resonance."
The meaning formed directly within the space around us. There was no depth behind it, no negotiation, no awareness beyond its purpose. It felt less like a conversation and more like a command repeated endlessly.
Vivi tilted her head slightly, observing it with quiet curiosity.
"You... want me to surrender?" she asked.
Another pulse followed, stronger this time.
"Surrender. Merge. Resonance."
I narrowed my eyes slightly, watching the way it repeated itself without variation.
"Low intelligence," I said calmly. "It’s not even trying to understand."
There was no reaction from it. Vivi drifted forward, her expression calm and almost amused.
"How about you surrender instead?" she said lightly.
The answer came instantly. A deep growl spread across the void and it absolutely rejected Vivi’s offer. The space around us trembled as its massive body shifted.
Green essence surged across its scales, no longer spreading outward but gathering inward, compressing rapidly into a single point. The density rose to a level where even the void began to distort, bending under the pressure being forced into that attack.
A moment later, it released.
A massive beam of green essence tore forward, twisting as it traveled, spiraling with raw force. It roared through the void like a living storm, dragging space along with it and distorting everything in its path as it rushed toward us.
I stepped out of its path without hesitation, leaving the space clear.
Vivi moved.
Her small form ignited, violet flames rising instantly before expanding outward. In the next moment, her phoenix form emerged, massive and radiant, her wings spreading wide across the void. The contrast was striking, green essence against violet fire, both carrying overwhelming presence.
She did not wait.
A concentrated beam of violet flames surged forward from her, cutting straight through space to meet the incoming attack.
The two forces collided.
The impact did not explode outward immediately. For a brief moment, everything locked in place, as if both powers refused to yield.
Then the balance broke.
Energy erupted in all directions as green and violet tore into each other, canceling out in violent waves. The void fractured under the pressure, space twisting and breaking before forcefully stabilizing again.
Neither side gained an advantage. Vivi held her ground, flames steady, but I could feel the strain beneath the surface.
"Billion," her voice reached me, calm but firm. "I won’t be able to take it down alone. I need your support."
"I know," I said.
I stepped forward and waved my hand. Sealing laws activated as multiple runes floated out in the void. The surrounding space tightened instantly, invisible layers forming as the chaotic distortion was brought under control.
Above us, my domain manifested.
The massive tablet appeared without descent, asserting itself over the void as if it had always belonged there. Its presence alone shifted the balance, placing everything beneath it under my authority.
"Right... to isolate."
The words carried through the domain, and it responded. The surrounding essence, vast and flowing, began to separate. The connection between the serpent and the natural essence it was drawing from weakened, then started breaking entirely. What once flowed freely now stood divided, no longer answering to it.
The serpent reacted. For the first time, its movements lost stability. Its body twisted violently, a distorted scream spreading through the void as it struggled against the loss of control.
It didn’t matter.
Next, the chains responded to my will. They moved from the tablet. Their advance carried weight, as if resistance itself had no meaning before them. In the next instant, they surged forward.
The first chain wrapped around the serpent’s body, coiling tightly across its massive frame. The second followed immediately, binding it further, layer after layer, locking it in place.
The serpent fought back. Green essence surged again, gravity collapsing inward in violent bursts as it tried to break free.
The chains did not react. Slowly but relentlessly, they dug into its body, restricting every movement until its massive form began to slow.
That was enough.
Vivi moved again.
Her flames gathered, condensing into a single point, far denser than before. This time, the attack carried a different intent. A twisting beam of violet fire surged forward, spiraling as it cut through the void. It struck the serpent directly, drilling through its massive body with unstoppable force.
The serpent convulsed as the attack pierced through it, leaving a clean, burning path across its width.
I stepped forward once more.
"Lock."
The chains responded instantly.
They tightened completely, sealing every movement, every surge of energy, every remaining resistance. The serpent froze under the restraint, its struggle reduced to faint tremors.
"Now," I said.
Vivi didn’t hesitate.
Her massive form condensed instantly into a streak of violet light. She shot forward, entering through the opening she had created and disappearing inside the serpent’s body. The void grew still once more, leaving only the bound serpent suspended before me, completely restrained.
I maintained everything. The domain. The chains. The isolation.
Inside, Vivi moved.
Through layers of condensed essence, deeper into the vast body, moving without resistance until she finally stopped.
At the center... something small waited.
A serpent. Barely a foot long was floating quietly. I felt it through our link.
And I understood.
"That’s it..." I murmured softly.
"The true core of the Blue Spiral."
"Billion... what should I do next?" Vivi’s voice reached me through the link, quieter now, lacking the usual excitement.
I kept my gaze steady, observing the small serpent before her. Compared to the massive form outside, this one felt different.
"Vivi, how would I know that?" I said. "Can’t you just devour it like you did with the other cores?"
She hesitated.
"Umm... I’m not sure if that will work," she replied slowly. "The others were world cores. They were... simpler. This is different. This is a galaxy core. I don’t think I’ll be able to take it over like that."
Her uncertainty was enough for me to take it seriously.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yeah... I think so," she said.
I exhaled lightly, thinking it through for a moment while still maintaining control outside. The chains held firm, the domain remained stable, and the serpent’s body stayed locked in place. We had time.
"Well, if you can’t take it directly..." I said, "then I will."
There was a brief pause on the other end.
"I’ll take control of it first," I continued. "Once it’s under me, you can devour it like you always do. That should remove whatever resistance it has."
Vivi stayed silent for a second then came her response.
"Yeah... I think that will work."