Merak emerged into an expanse of blue-white. The neutron star he looked down on wasn't as large as many of the ones he'd previously come across, but it was still significant nonetheless. The pressure it emitted was powerful enough that it blotted out all other minor stars in the surrounding area.

  Which was why Merak wasn't surprised when he found the fleeing Sun spirit hiding within it. It was a good tactic, using the aura of the greater celestial body to mask its own. Too bad it wasn't enough to fool Merak.

  He drifted forward, using his will to shift away the massive asteroids blocking his path. Some he crushed outright to dust when they were too slow to move.

  Eventually, he reached where his senses picked up the Sun spirit. It was already waiting for him.

  The celestial creature was in a human form, no doubt understanding what Merak was here for. Its mass had been compressed so much that the air for billions of miles heated, with space melting in its closer vicinity. It was an effective power display, Merak admitted. But he wasn't worried.

  "You know why I am here," he said.

  "I SAID NOTHING," the sun spirit replied, its voice the sound of a tsunami of flames. "I KEPT YOUR SECRET. LET ME BE."

  "Believe me, I would love to. But there's this thing about loose ends. You're a loose end, Sun spirit, and I do not like having a loose end I cannot control."

  "I SWEAR ON MY EXISTENCE THAT I WILL UTTER NO WORD NOR MAKE ANY CONFIRMATION ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ASCENDANT KNOWN AS MERAK OR ANY OF THEIR KNOWN ASSOCIATES."

  For the first time, Merak was halted as he felt the oath settle into the ambiance, and a second later felt it when reality accepted.

  The Harbinger of Oblivion gazed at the Sun spirit with a renewed look. To willfully make a soul oath was no easy something. It meant that unlike those forced to do the same, reality's punishment would fall heavily on you should you break yours.

  Still, Merak shook his head. "I applaud what you've just done. Truly, I do. But I, amongst many others, know very well that there are ways to extract secrets from even oathed souls. I cannot take any chances."

  "THEN COME, MURDERER," the sun spirit said, and Merak felt its power soar to truly admiring heights. "COME, UNTRUSTWORTHY. LET THIS PLACE BE A GRAVE FOR THE BOTH OF US."

  Merak smiled and shook his head. "When you picked this place for your last stand, you failed to realize one thing."

  He said while he began cracking his knuckles.

  "This place can hide me as well as it does you. Don't worry, though. Your death will be swift. It is the only mercy I can afford."

  While Avatar One began its battle with the sun spirit, Avatar Two carried out its own task. It emerged into the zel system, a border system.

  Normally, this system should have been heavily guarded since there wasn't a Sun spirit to protect the three planets hovering within, but seeing as it was bordered with an allied star nation, an alliance that had stood for countless millennials, countless generations, it wasn't surprising why there was no major outpost stationed within.

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  Which was why he emerged into utter chaos. Over the three planets, multiple dimensional ships were parked. The mighty Dreadships. Overwhelming Swarmfighters. And even a World ship.

  How did they manage to get that?

  Still, Merak wasn't deterred. Even when he sensed the attention of more than a dozen Ascendants locked on to him, he continued drifting forward.

  Countless Wielders, from Divine Kings to Ordinary Spirit Kings, and then down to Spirit lords, ransacked the planets, carting out everything that so much as looked valuable.

  Mountains were erased to unearth away the minerals buried within. Oceans were turned to vapor to cart away the crystals hidden without their bedrocks.

  There was nothing the World Spirits could do. They were Spirit Kings, after all, and the system was clotted with the presence of multiple ascendants. It had only taken a single one to erase the existence of those World Spirits, leaving the planets dead pieces of floating rocks.

  The populations hadn't been touched yet, but Merak knew the WorldSackers would get down to that any moment soon. More slaves were always needed.

  He turned his gaze towards the Ascendants arrayed before him. Thirteen, counting the one overseeing the Sacking of the planets.

  With this number, Merak predicted an extended campaign. The WorldSackers didn't weren't going to stop at just one Star system.

  Good thing he was here, then.

  "Wrong way, mate," one said, a young looking man with a dreadful looking hairstyle. He was an eight-layered Ascendant. "Best turn around and make for a different route. As you can see, we're... Relocating."

  Beside him, a few other Ascendants chuckled, with a some even patting the unfunny creature on the back.

  "Don't chase away our new recruit, Grusto," a beastkin said—a snake variant. Her tongue lapped into the air like a hungry dog, while her thick green serpentine body curled in what Merak instantly recognized as excitement. Or lust?

  "Can't you tell that he's freshly ascended?" she slithered out. "He might have heard of the mighty Jezaar clan and wished to join."

  "Yeahhh, right," the first one, Grusto, said. He rolled his eyes, his voice thick with sarcasm. "You can even see the excitement in his eyes. Isn't that right, boy? You're so excited to join us your expression looks the opposite."

  "Maybe he—" another one began but was cut off as someone else laid a palm on his shoulder, intent clear.

  Merak noticed that this man hadn't joined in on the laughter of the others since the beginning. In fact, he had taken an aloof manner ever since Merak's arrival.

  A leader, he grasped.

  The man drifted forward, past the others. He stopped in the middle, a short distance from Merak but long enough that it wouldn't be difficult to jump back to the safety of the others.

  "You're familiar," the man said with the beginning of a crease on his brow. "I've seen you somew—"

  "Leave," Merak interrupted. "Pack up your people and leave this system immediately. You can take some of the bounty you've acquired, but leave enough that the people may survive."

  "Hear that mates?!" Grusto called out mirthfully. "The ninth-layered boy has ordered us to pack up and go! Even give up a good number of our goods, too!"

  The others burst into laughter again, with some beginning to draw weapons. Merak did nothing.

  "I will not offer you this grace again."

  "Now, hold on there, boy," Grusto said, and this time his voice had changed. Gone was the playfulness, and in its place was an undisguised look of disdain. "Who do ya think you are?! Barging in here will all sorts a de—"

  "Merak."

  Grusto paused and frowned at the other man. "Wha' do ya say, Boss?"

  "Merak," the other man whispered again, this time with dawning terror. "You're Merak. Merak the Silent obliterator."

  "Wha' do ya mean he's the silent obliterator?!" Grusto fumed. "Look at him, he's barely into the ninth layer!"

  "Shut up," the boss gritted.

  "What?"

  "I said shut the fuck up, Grusto!" The man roared. "Your father might be clan head but I swear on the left tits of the Throne of Life, I will kill you myself if you utter another word!"

  Satisfied that Grusto, along with everyone else, wasn't going to be making any more noise, the man turned back to Merak.

  "I apologize, Harbinger," he bowed and nervously turned a glare towards the others behind him to do the same. "We didn't know you were in the area. By your leave, we'll begin packing up. We'll even leave all our bounties behind. Everything," the man gritted out with a 'shut up' glare towards Grusto, who opened his mouth in protest.

  Merak surveyed it all with a calm expression. "You must be very old if you know of me, and older if you have truly seen me before. How's that?"

  "Excuse me?" The man eeked out.

  "How did you know who I was?"

  "My pa used to be a servant in the Cult of Oblivion, and sometimes he brought me to work. I was just fortunate that one of those days coincided with your visit."

  Merak nodded. "Thank you."

  "W-why, Harbinger? W-we didn't do anything wo-worthy of your appreciation," the man stammered.

  "Why, you did. You made my decision easier," he said and then turned to all the millions of Spirit lords, thousands of Spirit Kings, and Dozens of Divine Kings billions of miles away.

  "DIE!" Merak commanded, and reality rose to his bidding.