Rory Pickleman was a late B-Grade Envoy of the Black Hole Church. His strength wasn’t anything special, but he cultivated the Dao of Simple Honesty, making him perfect for carrying out top-secret missions. That was why he, alone, had been chosen to accompany the Sage into the old Ancient galaxy where Enas was imprisoned. A huge honor, as well as a huge responsibility.
I have to admit it’s going pretty well so far, Rory thought, sitting on the tea table they had prepared beforehand as he watched the Sage begin the ritual. A black hole was surrounded by twelve runic columns, each possessing twelve sides. The Sage stood before the black hole and chanted, an unintelligible sound which filled even Rory with energy. His body was rejuvenated.
The twelve columns connected to each other in a green polygon around the black hole. Its sides swayed as if the hole’s rotation rubbed against them. While Rory couldn’t see the black hole, he could perceive it, and he noticed its rotation gradually slow down. A green light appeared in its midst, growing ever brighter as if approaching from an endless distance away. The same green light radiated from the Sage’s body.
Rory couldn’t contain his excitement. Of all the people in the universe, would he, a random Envoy, be the one to witness the return of Enas?
***
As Jack and Hero hyped themselves up, the Arch Priestess took something out of her space ring.
“Hmm?” Brock asked. “Recording stone?”
“That’s right. I’ve already spread word, and this duel will be broadcast across the universe. The Immortals will also broadcast it in every corner of System space.”
“Why?”
“Because each side thinks their champion will win.”
She tossed the stone up. It automatically activated and zoomed in, capturing Jack and Hero, who were about to clash. At the same time, large screens flashed on the gathering fields of all high-grade factions across System space, including the Milky Way galaxy—after everything that happened with Jack, the existence of other galaxies and higher Grade organizations was no longer a secret.
The duel was broadcasted to every important eye in the world—except Earth, which was uncontactable to all.
Jack didn’t know about the broadcast, nor did he care. He rushed Hero. Thanks to his new powers, charging through space at near light-speed felt like strolling through the park. He arrived and casually shot a punch. Hero swung his sword against it.
Purple energy blasted Hero’s defenses, carving a beam through space. The other man recoiled, blown away, retreating thousands of miles before stabilizing. He wiped his chin with a gauging expression.
“You have power,” he said. “Good. It wouldn’t be interesting otherwise.”
Contrary to the strike he’d just received, he seemed in a good mood. Jack ignored his words and charged again. The budding universe inside him roiled with power. The astral rivers serving as his blood accelerated, the purple-sun heart pulsing with power. The laws of his universe circulated, feeding their essence into his, letting his fist command a field of power surpassing the physical domain.
As he punched out, it was like endless natural laws crashing down. A massive starry fist appeared to ram into Hero.
Hero fought back this time. A silver aura radiated from his body, encapsulating the space around him, changing its properties and making it uniquely his. As Jack’s fist entered that space, he sensed it lose power as its Daos were no longer supported. It was like reality itself pushed against him.
“With the power vested in me by the people,” Hero chanted, “I cast judgment!”
Jack had fought late A-Grades before. The power unleashed by Hero was far above them, a terrible torrent of reality-consuming silver. The greatsword rose above him and cracked down like thunder. It met Jack’s fist, both attacks warping around and consuming each other.
“You’re good!” Jack laughed, even as Hero’s gaze turned ghastly.
“You can resist my named attacks!?” he asked. “Splendid! This makes my victory even worthier!”
“Don’t bite your tongue!”
Jack shot out, a missile crossing space. He reached Hero instantly. A fist smashed into the other man’s abdomen, ringing his armor like a bell. Another aimed for his head, blocked by a greatsword, which then turned and tried to cleave down Jack. He dodged it, pelting his opponent with Meteor Punches which broke against his armor in a breathtaking light show. Light sparkled everywhere. The spectators’ eyes reflected the glint.
When two men exchanged strikes, they glimpsed into each other’s psyche. All barriers fell during a physical confrontation. Jack could sense Hero’s soul—a haughty thing, arrogance fueled by true competence. All his life, he’d been the best, a lonely peak looking down on the world. His moral superiority against “evil-doers” shared its foundation with his skill superiority over his struggling competitors—and it was exactly that superiority which Jack threatened.
At first, Hero’s every strike felt disinterested, as if expecting to swat Jack away like a fly—a habit forged over a lifetime of excellence and a Dao built around it. Over time, however, Hero grew angry. Every strike was sharp now. His cold, handsome face turned fiercer, his mouth hardening into a straight line. It was imperceptible to most, but Jack, being so close and intimate, could see it clearly. R
“What’s the matter?” he taunted. “Is it hard to play hero when the other guy fights back?”
“What do you know about heroism?”
Grand Elder Huali had arranged a viewing party. The entirety of the reborn Exploding Sun faction had gathered to watch Jack’s duel, and they’d even invited all neighboring factions, the Sun disciples not losing any opportunity to brag about how Jack had studied with them for a bit in the past. There were even a few people who’d met Jack personally, or even sparred with him!
Huali watched, her gaze glued to the large screen, her eyes moist with tears. “Show me the power of Supernova...” she whispered. Shol was beside her, deep in his proud drinking. He constantly laughed for no reason.
***
Back on Earth, there was no viewing screen to Jack’s duel. There couldn’t be, since they were outside System space. That didn’t mean they did nothing.
Jack had arranged a banquet with all his old friends. Only Vivi knew the true reason: if the main body perished, so would the clone, and he wanted it to be amongst true friends. Ebele was there too, as were Gan Salin, Nauja, Edgar, Harambe, Captain Dordok, Brother Tao... Even his mother was present—Margaret Rust, the professor, deep in her waning years. She must have suspected that something was going on, because she’d dragged herself out of her house for the first time in months to attend.
Wine and food were aplenty. They talked freely, exchanging stories, sharing their lives. Edgar talked about the development of his Academy—he’d grown a mustache and a beard, and had overall shifted into a look much more fitting for a Headmaster than his previous one. His voice now contained command and dignity.
Jack sat back and enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere. He knew there was a decent chance he’d collapse before the end of this banquet. He might as well enjoy it.
And, if the unfortunate truly happened, he’d make sure to teleport away in time. Wouldn’t want to traumatize Ebele.
***
Hero charged, but Jack took a moment to grin before retaliating. His perception was sharp now, and he sensed the small but noticeable shudder in Hero’s aura. That was a weakness of belief-based Daos—when founded on unsteady ground, all it took to shake them was a bit of Dao debate. It was the same trick he’d sometimes used against the leonines of the Animal Kingdom—and, if Hero had bothered to research Jack’s background, he’d know that to engage in mid-battle trash-talk with him was suicide.
Or maybe he had, and he was just overconfident.
Seeing Hero’s approach, trailing the silver metallic aura of justice, Jack clenched his fist. Sparks rose from across his body. The Thunderbody technique was unusable now that he’d changed the fundamental nature of his body, but he’d been able to derive a new version based on the old one. Every spark that rose from his skin contained tiny stars, the essences of Jack’s inner astral space. It would temporarily lower the energy density of his inner universe, delaying the progress of its cultivators, but it didn’t matter. He’d make up for it later. This war was the convergence of everything, and he had to win.
He could have also used the Life Drop, but its energy reserves were still low, so he wanted to save it for when truly necessary.
Hero flashed above Jack, sword raised and poised to strike. His red cape fluttered. He brought the blade down hard. “Divine Justice!” he shouted.
Jack was done playing. His aura erupted as he drove up a fist, the world compressed inside it to the point of eruption. “Supernova!”
Hero’s sword was washed away. A terrifying explosion filled the world, somewhat comparable to a real supernova, forcing the onlookers to turn away. For a moment, a new star appeared in the galaxy, brighter than any other.
By the time the spectators could look at the battle again, they found Hero flung away, his silver armor blackened at the front. Terrible wrath filled his face, while his flowing golden hair was singed at the ends. Before he could re-engage, Jack appeared in front of him, clad in purple lightning. His fist rolled forth. Hero’s armor cracked as he flew back again, bright blood trailing his open mouth.
Jack used the overwhelming speed granted by his version of Thunderbody to flash around Hero, mercilessly pummeling him. He cracked a knee at the back of his armor, sending him flying upward, then smashed a fist into his chest from above. More punches landed, Hero’s trajectory turning erratic. He was spinning in space, having lost all sense of direction, his mind shaking from the impacts. As he guarded his head and looked around, he saw a storm of meteors heading at him from all directions. He screamed as they landed.
The Heaven Immortal and the Gods looked on, transfixed. Hero was one of the greatest geniuses in the history of the cultivation world, assisted by every resource the Immortals could muster. Yet, here he was, losing to someone two small realms below him. This was historic.
“What a shame,” the Heaven Immortal muttered. His voice was electric. “If only we’d found him first, the Crusade would be over. Now he must die.”
The Gods didn’t make a sound, though they rapidly discussed amongst themselves. As for the Church army, they clenched their fists, inspired by the sight before them. Their champion was winning. They were no longer forced to hide in the shadows—thanks to Jack, they were able to step in the open, brazenly facing the Immortals with their heads held high.
Heavenly Spoon, Min Ling, Starhair, Strawpin, and Fiend Prince all had looks of admiration on their faces. Only Brock remained calm, used to his brother’s feats of overwhelming strength. As for Boatman, he slowly shook his head. “The new overcomes the old...” he muttered.
“Your disciple has surpassed you, Boatman, but that is cause for celebration,” the Arch Priestess replied, unable to hide her pride. “In fact, he might have even surpassed me. He still hasn’t activated his four-armed battle form, but he can fight at the level of a weaker Archon.”
“I wouldn’t say that. As far as I can tell, the influence of his battle form should have decreased after Jack’s recent breakthroughs. It wouldn’t make much of a difference.”
“Hmm. Perhaps you’re right.”
On the Immortals’ side, an Archon leaned close to the Heaven Immortal’s head. The robot possessed no ears, but whispering was a universal gesture. “Should we attack, sir?” he asked.
“No,” the Heaven Immortal replied. “Hero is not done yet.”