Countless planets across the ninety-third universe got this message at the exact same time. Countless planets were steeling themselves to face what many believed would be the final system event of the early period of the newly initiated universe… all waiting to realize their fates and to see if they were viable to continue existing going forward.
Some faced this challenge with excitement, expectations, and a bright look toward the future. Others with doubt, fear, and even a sense of helplessness, as they doubted they stood a chance against whatever monster would arrive. Alliances did help, but not every galaxy had powerful alliances. Some had even come into conflict with other planets already, killing all hopes of working together.
No matter what, one thing was clear: this system event would determine the fate of many planets. If they would become worlds ruled by enlightened individuals or one with monsters in charge. Millions of civilizations would fall, as planets would be overrun by Prima Guardians who would then take charge of the Planetary Pylon, making it a world hostile to the enlightened.
In some ways, this could be viewed as a test if the populations of every planet had reached a satisfactory power level, or were due for a reset. Perhaps new enlightened races would appear there in the future, or maybe they wouldn’t.
Each galaxy had different circumstances, but one stood out more than any other. A galaxy with not one, but two Chosen of pinnacle gods in it, with people who were not only the strongest C-grades of this generation but of all generations in the history of the multiverse – at least if one went by the Nevermore Leaderboards.
While the vast majority of galaxies had borderline zero divine attention, the same couldn’t be said about the Milky Way, which had all eyes on it to see what many believed would be yet another showdown between the two Chosen, who had recently also faced off in Nevermore.
It was a chance for Ell’Hakan to reclaim some of the prestige he had lost in Nevermore… or for the Chosen of the Malefic One to fully prove his superiority. Some would argue this competition wasn’t entirely fair, though, as this wasn’t a one-on-one duel, but each Chosen had a whole swath of allies. And especially when it came to these allies, there was an imbalance.
Even the gods couldn’t agree on who had the advantage, though. Because one side had the entire Prima Guardian Alliance… while Earth had Earth.
Ell’Hakan flew to the exact spot the Prima Guardian would arrive at, followed by thirty other people. Five of them were from his own planet, while the rest of them hailed from the Prima Guardian Alliance. They were the strongest of their own planets, and while none truly reached the peak level, many were quite strong in their own rights.
Tens of thousands of elites from the Prima Guardian Alliance had also arrived to help secure the perimeter, limiting the damage the system event could cause. As the leader of the alliance, it was only to be expected he would make use of his position.Their plan was quite simple. They had gathered this elite team to take down the Prima Guardian on Ell’Hakan’s planet first, before they would move to others, taking down Prima Guardians and regular Primas one after another. The teleportation network provided by the system allowed them to teleport between every member planet incredibly simply, if a bit limited, due to each planet only generally having one teleporter. This was heavily remedied by effective teleportation networks on the different planets, but it could be a pain, especially on the less developed worlds where the alliance had less time to put down solid networks.
On the many respective planets of the alliance, they had also enacted protocols to condense and secure the populace, so even if the elites of the planet were gone, the damage would be minimized. Some defenders did also remain on each planet, but just enough to handle a few wayward Primas.
It was quickly confirmed these Prima Guardians would always appear nearly directly on the other side of the planet from where most enlightened lived, which was both a curse and a blessing. A blessing because it meant the Primas wouldn’t reach the enlightened within a short period and likely be very scattered once they did, and a curse because it meant going to face off against the Prima Guardian would take longer in pure travel time.
Time was certainly a big constraint in this event, but it didn’t bother Ell’Hakan too much. He had already designated the planets with the least usefulness and low populations, and it was only to be expected some couldn’t be saved. Not even the greatest hero could save everyone every time. Sacrifices would also only make those he did save view him more favorably, as they could directly see the unfortunate fate of those who didn’t get his help.
Refocusing, he soon arrived at the spot where the Prima Guardian would land together with his elite team who began setting down a formation. As he stood there, he felt the belief of the planet and all other planets he had also begun to influence coursing through his body. He looked up as the sun’s rays warmed and empowered his body, the twin moons hidden right now but always there. As one would expect of parents looking after their child.
He felt strong and confident in his plan. Besides, Earth, the planet belonging to the Chosen of the Malefic One, was ultimately still only one planet. Ell’Hakan had the powers of hundreds behind him. Smiling, he felt it was almost a certainty.
We shall be the ones to claim first blood. We have to.
--
Back on Earth, no one even seemed to be thinking about some grand universe-wide competition as they were too busy doing their own thing.
With it now fully confirmed that the spot Jacob had picked out was indeed where the Prima Guardian would appear, everyone got to work making their own preparations. The Sword Saint painted a picture of the desert to allow him to teleport back there should something unforeseen happen, Carmen did some small ritual and sacrificed some bones, Arnold began to send out drones and even shot up small satellite-like things, Maria prepared arrows by infusing them with firebombs, Caleb began charging what looked like small bombs, and Casper spread out traps in the area… everyone did something.
Jake also prepared his own Protean Arrow despite not knowing the exact nature of what they would face. He wanted to make a rather basic arrow that would work against most things, so it ended up consisting primarily of purely destructive arcane energy. It was far from ideal, and he could have made a better one if he could confirm what kind of creature the Prima could be. He chose to go with the most all-purpose one, though, because he didn’t want to risk making some arrow specialized in killing flesh and blood creatures only for some large elemental to appear, making Jake look like a complete moron when his arrow would fly harmlessly straight through its body.
Vesperia also did her thing. She sent out practically all of her C-grade drones in one direction where she had been assigned to make a defensive line, keeping only her four Queen’s Guards with her for this battle. Even the Royal Guards were too weak to be of proper help during the fight that was to come without getting the way, so they joined the regular drones. This section she would be in charge of was definitely one of the most robust ones, showing Vesperia indeed was a one-woman army in that she could literally summon an army.
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A few people didn’t have anything to prepare at all. The Fallen King simply floated there while Eron was reading a small book on a summoned chair. Sylphie was also just flying around, getting a feel for the area, occasionally complaining about how still the wind was in the desert.
After around fifty minutes of preparation and relaxation, as the boss grew ever nearer, yet another system message appeared before every person on the planet. It was finally the “real” announcement of the event.
The Prima Guardian Event Shall Begin Shortly.
From the vastness of space, a Prima Vessel Is bound for Earth, carrying with it Primas who have been empowered within the Seal of the Exalted Prima and the Prima Guardian itself. Seek out where it lands and prepare to fight, flee, and defend what is worth protecting, or find any other strategy to face the Guardian. Do this with the knowledge you have time.
The Prima Guardian will be sealed within the Prima Vessel for the first 1000 days after arrival. Each day that passes, the Prima Guardian shall break one of the chains sealing it, expending some of its power to regain its freedom. While sealed, the Prima Guardian cannot leave the Prima Vessel, and none can enter the Vessel either, except for the Key Holder carrying the First Key (current World Leader, Jake Thayne).
Even as the Prima Guardian remains sealed, the Primas that have arrived alongside it shall roam free, bringing with them their armies. Defend, attack, and hunt down every Prima, knowing that every slain Prima empowers the remaining seals on the Prima Guardian, forcing it to expend even more energy to regain its freedom, thus making it weaker once fully unsealed.
Once the Prima Guardian is free, it shall seek to hunt down the other Key Holder and claim the Planetary Pylon. After 5 years of the Prima Guardian’s release, the barrier protecting Earth’s Planetary Core will naturally disperse, allowing any with a key to claim it. Current Key Holders on Earth: Jake Thayne. Prima Guardian of Earth (upon arrival).
Due to the exceptional performance of Earth in prior system events and the number of Primas slain during the first period of this event, the Prima Guardian is significantly more powerful than usual. The hundreds of chains broken before time from the slain Primas allow the Prima Guardian to absorb the Records and energies while expending less energy to break free overall.
The faster the Prima Guardian is slain, the greater the reward. Once the Prima Guardian has been slain, Earth will naturally be enrolled in the Prima Guardian Alliance. Participating in the alliance is entirely voluntary but may result in improved event rewards.
Let the true battle for who shall ultimately claim dominion of the Planetary Pylon begin.
WARNING: Should the Key Holder choose to enter the Prima Vessel before the 1000 days are over, all seals limiting the Prima Guardian are instantaneously broken, and the Prima Guardian is set free. If the Prima Guardian is unsealed before all chains are broken, it will not expend any of its saved-up power doing so, leaving it far more powerful. Caution is heavily advised.
All rewards from this event shall be given once all Prima Guardians of the Milky Way Galaxy have been slain or at the event’s natural expiration five years after all Prima Guardians have been released. Rewards are based both on the performance of every individual and the planet’s performance as a whole.
Prima Guardian Arrival: 9:57
Just as this message came, Jake felt something. A faint sliver of energy had gathered, and when Jake looked at the back of his hand, a small golden glowing sigil had appeared. Instantly, he knew this was the key spoken about in the system message. One part of what would ultimately allow him to unlock the barrier around the Planetary Pylon, with the other one held by the Prima Guardian.
Everyone quickly read the system message while gathering around, and Jake felt all eyes turn to him. Jake just gave a knowing smile. ”I don’t think it needs to be said, right? I’m storming head-first into that Prima Vessel the second I can to free the damn thing. No way we’re waiting a thousand days.”
No one said anything, as this was entirely what they had expected. The system even directly told them that killing the Prima Guardian as quickly as possible would lead to better rewards, and everyone else knew that the system always put a lot of stock on things like being the first to do something.
And there was no fucking way Jake or anyone else wanted to risk someone like Ell’Hakan snagging the first kill. Jake could almost imagine the smug fuck standing somewhere, with a dumb smile on his face, feeling all confident.
Besides… unsealing the Prima Guardian fast would make it stronger, resulting in a more difficult fight, and difficult fights were more fun. Honestly, there were only upsides!
Floating over, the Fallen King regarded Jake and saw the glowing symbol on his hand. ”Do you intend to enter yourself? If the key can be transferred, perhaps it would be better if someone else goes, and you can make distance to strike more efficiently.”
”Maybe I can transfer it, but I see no reason to even try,” Jake said, shaking his head. ”Say this Prima Guardian turns out to be far more dangerous than we believe, I think it’s best I’m the one going into this Vessel. Outside of Eron, I’m the one who’s the hardest to take down, and out of everyone, I’m the one who can escape the easiest while not dying in the process.”
There was also the fact that Jake’s danger sense would warn him before things even got too dangerous. He truly believed that out of everyone, it was best if he was the one to enter. Besides, as the World Leader, he had to take responsibility and risk sometimes, right?
”Your logic is sound, very well,” the Fallen King simply said.
”Ree?” Sylphie questioned, flying over.
”No, I’ll enter alone,” Jake shook his head.
”Ree…” Sylphie screeched a bit sadly as Carmen went over and comforted the bird with a pat on the head. Jake got a look from Vesperia, but he decided now wasn’t the time.
The entire strike team stood together, ready to face what was to come as the timer slowly ticked down until finally…
Prima Guardian Arrival: 0:01
Jake stared up into the cloudless sky as he saw beyond the atmosphere of the planet. There, something warped. Bent. Space itself seemed to collapse in upon itself for a brief moment as reality shattered. Pure darkness remained… until something emerged from this newly formed hole in space.
Something grayish and metallic floated out and began to accelerate straight down toward Earth. It was shaped almost like an egg, with perfectly smooth sides and not a single opening anywhere. The entire thing was at least a few kilometers long and wide, making it about the size Jake would have expected, if maybe a little on the smaller side, considering the many Primas it had to transport alongside their armies.
Even from this distance, Jake could tell with utter certainty that no attack he or anyone else on Earth was capable of could leave a single mark on what he was certain was the Prima Vessel.
The gap in space behind it closed just as quickly as it had come, as the Prima Vessel began flying faster and faster down toward Earth. Soon, it reached the atmosphere as it began to burn, but it effortlessly broke through every layer in its ceaseless descent.
”Be ready, everyone,” the Sword Saint said, one hand on his sword as they all stood there and looked at it descending, with it about to land only a few kilometers ahead of them. Everything was ready as the desert lit up from the burning metal vessel coming down like a meteor, until finally, the impact.
A massive wave of sand and wind rushed past them as the shockwave washed over them, with barriers of magic sprung already up to absorb some of the impact. All of them stood still, except for one person who was already charging forward before the Prima Vessel had even hit the ground.
Because Jake wasn’t even going to wait for the sand to settle or the Prima Vessel to cool down, as he stormed toward it, the symbol on his hand glowing as a small opening appeared towards its base.
At the same time, many more openings appeared all over the Vessel. Hundreds of them at once began to spew out creatures, with the first one exiting right as Jake entered the Prima Vessel and triggered the final boss fight to claim the Planetary Pylon of Earth.