On the ground, in the woods outside the school.
Kino and Thales scratched their heads, looking with immense curiosity at the retreating figures that were gradually vanishing from sight. Phoebe also deactivated her armed state, a thoroughly bewildered expression coloring her face.
Kino and Thales were completely clueless about the situation, but Phoebe knew exactly why these enemies had appeared. Ultimately, they were the subordinates of Hades. To resurrect their master, they had descended upon Earth in the First Parallel Universe to seize the Netherworld Key.
As the absolute linchpin for Hades' revival, the Netherworld Key was currently in the safe keeping of her mentor, Master Wyatt.
Phoebe's expression remained heavy with doubt. Logically speaking, since she was right here and clearly outnumbered, there was no reason for the enemy to simply pull back and flee. Even her fiercest opponent from a moment ago seemed utterly blindsided by the sudden command to retreat from his superiors, leaving the battlefield entirely cloaked in confusion.
However, there was at least one person who accepted this outcome with absolute composure.
Kino executed a dramatic slide to plant himself right in front of Phoebe. Flipping his bangs with nonchalant swagger, he said smoothly, "It appears the enemy was entirely overwhelmed by my sheer charisma, choosing to retreat without a fight."
Phoebe blinked, staring blankly at Kino.
Considering the boy had been cowering right behind her back just moments ago, acting like a glorified cheerleader to egg her on, she shot back testily, "I never knew a human being's skin could actually be this thick."
"No, no." Kino raised a single finger. "I am merely stating the absolute facts."
He lowered his head, striking a deeply contemplative pose.
Before long, Thales began shaking him frantically by the shoulder. "Stop showing off, man! She's already walking away!"
Kino snapped out of his trance. "Wait, when?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Right when you were completely immersed in your own little world." When it came to Kino, Thales found himself utterly exasperated more often than not. Kino wasn't a bad guy by nature; his only real flaw was his insatiable urge to show off at every opportunity.
"Come on, Thales, we gotta catch up!" Kino grabbed Thales by the arm, and the two of them bolted after the departing Phoebe.
High above their heads, Zoran let out a soft sigh.
The brief surveillance from earlier had originated from deep space, but he had no time to deal with those onlookers at the moment. He was currently occupied with managing the anomaly within his own body.
The unique properties of this universe's Hetero-Energy were constantly swirling around him like a relentless, clinging shroud that he simply could not shake off. What truly gave Zoran a headache was that Hetero-Energy possessed no physical form; he could only actively channel his demon chi to forcefully suppress the ambient energy waves.
His sharp eyes peered into the distance, tracking the three human silhouettes until they vanished from his line of sight.
Perhaps simply absorbing this Hetero-Energy would be a straightforward solution. However, across the many dimensions he had traversed, he had only ever relied on his own canonical demonic authority. He had never permitted the indigenous power of another universe to flood his being. He harbored an instinctive resistance to the idea.
Because his analysis of Hetero-Energy was still incomplete, he could not be entirely certain whether doing so would trigger unwanted side effects. More importantly, the sheer volume of Hetero-Energy currently enveloping him was staggering. Zoran wasn't entirely sure what would happen if he let down his guard and fully absorbed it, but the resulting commotion would undoubtedly be colossal.
With a soft sigh, his silhouette flickered and vanished completely into thin air, tailing the direction Phoebe and the boys had gone.
Meanwhile, in the depths of outer space.
The massive warship orbiting the cosmos slowly touched down on the dark side of the moon, where rows upon rows of combat vessels had already been stationed. Logan's armada loomed aggressively in the shadows, having waited patiently for an extended period.
Inside the command ship, Golden Lion asked with palpable displeasure, "General, I was on the absolute verge of securing the prize. Why did you suddenly order a tactical withdrawal?"
He clenched his fists tightly. While he and Phoebe had been locked in a dead heat during their one-on-one exchange, he held the overwhelming advantage in numbers, not to mention the girl was saddled with two civilian liabilities.
Logan shook his head, his expression heavy with gravity. "Moments ago, an incredibly bizarre spike of Hetero-Energy erupted from your exact coordinates on Earth. It was right next to you. Did you feel nothing?"
"A spike of Hetero-Energy?" Golden Lion blinked in surprise. "No, sir."
If there was any notable energy signature, the only candidate should have been Phoebe, but her level was hardly significant enough to warrant the General's personal attention.
"That energy ripple was highly anomalous," Logan continued, his voice low. "At its peak, it was powerful enough to match or even surpass my own. Yet at its lowest, it plummeted so severely it was almost impossible to detect."
Logan paused before continuing, "Your coordinates practically overlapped with it. I ordered the retreat to avert any unforeseen disasters, and I wanted to confirm if you had detected its source. But to think you noticed absolutely nothing..."
Logan's gaze darkened. He was fully confident in his ability to wrestle the Netherworld Key away from Master Wyatt, but he loathed unpredictable variables. The revival of Hades was their supreme priority; absolutely nothing could be allowed to go wrong.
"General, life and death are governed by destiny on the battlefield. If it means reclaiming the Netherworld Key, I would gladly lay down my life!" Golden Lion declared firmly.
He understood that Logan's decision stemmed partly from a desire to protect his subordinates, while also serving as a cautious, calculated move. There were only a select few entities in this universe whose Hetero-Energy could rival the General. One had to remember that under normal conditions, General Logan's Hetero-Energy could reach a staggering magnitude of 1.6 Black Hole levels, making him a renowned powerhouse even on a cosmic scale.
Yet right beside him, an entity with an energy signature that matched or eclipsed the General had been lurking, and he hadn't noticed a single thing? Golden Lion couldn't help but shudder slightly, silently tightening his grip.
The next second, he felt a firm, reassuring weight land on his shoulder. Logan rose from his command throne, his eyes burning with deep resolve. "Continue tracking the location of the Netherworld Key. This time, I shall personally descend to investigate."
He turned and stroked his chin as he walked toward the launch bay. While he was tempted to write off that bizarre energy signature as a trick played by Master Wyatt, even that ancient turtle was incapable of producing such a freakish anomaly. He would go to Earth himself to see what was truly going on, and, while he was at it, reclaim the Netherworld Key once and for all.
…
On Earth, Zoran had no idea that he had already caught the attention of a cosmic powerhouse.
Of course, given his detached personality, even if he did know, he would likely remain entirely unbothered. The vast majority of his focus was dedicated to suppressing the Hetero-Energy that kept materializing out of thin air around his body.
This constant struggle caused his aura to look wildly inconsistent from the outside. Like tides fluctuating under the gravitational pull of the moon, his power rose and receded, generating and extinguishing in a ceaseless loop.
He directed his gaze toward the far end of the street, focusing on a dilapidated structure that bore a striking resemblance to a public restroom. This was the current residence of Phoebe's mentor, Master Wyatt.
A profoundly wise sage, Master Wyatt possessed immensely powerful Hetero-Energy, though he lacked aggressive offensive capabilities, essentially a character who relied solely on basic defense and a single, catastrophic ultimate technique. An entity like him had undoubtedly advanced his understanding of Hetero-Energy far beyond that of ordinary men.
Zoran watched with his own eyes as the three human silhouettes slipped past the doorway. Calculating his options, he drifted silently toward the weathered building.
At that exact moment, inside the dimly lit, archaic house, Master Wyatt stood with one hand tucked behind his back. Possessing the form of a serpent's head upon a turtle's body, he leaned heavily on his staff, his eyes closed in deep meditation.
His disciple Phoebe had returned, bringing along the two children of destiny. Everything seemed to be proceeding exactly as foretold, yet Master Wyatt felt an inexplicable, sudden thumping in his chest.
He began tracing calculations with his fingers, only for his eyes to suddenly snap open.
An entirely unfamiliar, bizarre aura had abruptly drawn near. A Hetero-Energy signature that was simultaneously monumental and microscopic was fluctuating violently across a definitive boundary.
"I wonder what manner of traveler has arrived at my doorstep," Master Wyatt spoke, striking his staff against the floor, his countenance as calm and serene as still water. "Since you are already here, why not step forward so we may meet?"
————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my p-atre-on: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]