In the underground village, countless natives covered in brown markings bow one by one as Nox walks past them. He follows the native leader, who guides him to a massive stone wall adorned with intricate drawings. As Nox studies the wall, his gaze settles on the central image—a depiction of a destroyed planet.
The native leader solemnly says, "This is our future, as we envisioned it many years ago. The appearance of God only confirms its reality... we are truly doomed."
Nox steps closer to the wall, eyes scanning the details. "But there is hope," he says. "There are seven chosen ones who can at least save some part of this world."
His fingers trace over a drawing of seven lights guiding the people of the planet. He then places his hand on the brown light and smirks. "And I'm one of them. Well... I should say any Star could have been a chosen one, as long as they were as lucky and smart enough to notice a summoning circle. Hmm... five more. There must be other conditions to becoming a chosen one."
His gaze shifts to another drawing—energy beams descending from space, crashing onto the planet's surface. His expression hardens. "This planet was marked for destruction by the God of the universe… and the reason is simple, all for the Star Games."
Memories flash through his mind—visions of countless planets reduced to rubble by a powerful force. He refocuses, shaking off the images, then moves further down the wall, stopping at a drawing of a brown star in the underground village, carrying a magic item.
The native leader speaks again. "That is our magic item, the one that has protected our village for centuries. But now, it must be used by our chosen one—to save us. Follow me."
Nox follows as they descend a long, spiraling staircase, delving deeper underground. At the bottom, there is nothing but dirt.
The native leader kneels, placing his hand on the ground. "The people of this planet are unable to control such powerful items, so we built our village around it. One of these magical items lies here."
He presses his palm against the dirt, indicating that the artifact is buried beneath them.
Nox takes a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination. "Susan, I hope you're watching. The early steps of Project Universe are going as smoothly as planned."
With a quick motion, he strikes the ground. A powerful force erupts from the impact, sending deep cracks spiderwebbing through the dirt around him. The underground chamber trembles as dust and loose soil shifts.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the sea, Gaia continues to sink, her body growing colder as her mind drifts into memories of her life. Seeing that she has worked tirelessly to become a great Star, dedicating everything to her purpose. Yet, in the end, she has only allowed a small circle of friends into her world—Dustin, Ortis, and Rose.
She recalls the moments of joy they shared, her mind lingering on a particular night when she spoke with Dustin. That night, she admitted to him, "I would also like to live my life as a normal mortal… but our noble names binds us to something greater. No matter what, our main goal of life will always be... Godhood."
Dustin had smiled at her then, his expression both understanding and conflicted. "I'm glad you feel the same way," he had said. "But I wish I could control my inner emotions as well as you do, Gaia."
Her heart clenches as her memories shift to the day of Dustin's exile. The despair had been unbearable. She had locked herself away in her chamber, drowning in sorrow, convinced that her only true friend was gone forever. "If only I could see him one more time," she had thought again and again.
Now, sinking into the abyss, she whispers to herself, "Once I become a god, I'll bring him back… and together, we'll build a universe of freedom, just for us."
The flashback fades as her eyes flutter open. Through the blurry waters, she sees Yuri swimming toward her. Moments later, she jolts awake, coughing up seawater as she finds herself lying on a small boat. Yuri and a dozen of his people surround her, their expressions tense yet relieved.
They hear more deafening blasts from the sky, and when they look up, they spot the distant mecha unleashing a barrage of lasers into the sea, killing more Stars and destroying battleships.
Yuri's expression hardens. "The commander must be piloting that mecha. He's the only one who can control it."
Gaia narrows her eyes, analyzing the situation in her mind. "The other Stars are probably taking over the other battleships… and that forced the commander to come out himself to destroy the ones that were overtaken. Hmm… but he's only one man. Sooner or later, his mothership will also be overrun by the others."
She then speaks aloud. "Let's follow him from a distance and make our way to the mothership. You don't have to worry about your people on the other ships. With all this chaos… from us sky people, they'll be freed. We just need to focus on the main goal and put an end to all of this."
Yuri gives her a determined smile. "Yes, we'll do that. And there's so much more we need to discuss… Juvia, the main captain city, has everything you need to save the world."
With a shared purpose, they begin paddling the boat, following the direction of the flying mecha.
On the flying mecha, the commander speaks into the comms with a firm voice. "I've destroyed the last overtaken ship on the western side. What's the current status, Delta Captain?"
A voice crackles through the speakers. "Team Delta has dealt with the sky people on board. Reports from Teams Charlie, Bravo, Tango, and Lima indicate their sectors are also cleared. However, Team Omega and Echo are still engaged in battle."
The commander's eyes narrow. "I'll head over to Omega and Echo and handle the situation. For now, retreat to the mothership and secure it from any incoming sky people. Once I return, we'll fall back to Juvia."
With that, the commander accelerates his mecha toward a distant battleship, leaving a bright trail in the sky.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the Delta call line, a young woman hangs up the transmission. Dressed in a guard captain's uniform, as it is Rose, who steps out of the room and onto the deck of a massive battleship. All around her, Stars stand in formation, also clad in the uniforms of the enemy's forces.
She scans the gathered Stars and raises her voice. "I'm glad to see mortals of such high caliber—ones who understand the power of teamwork. Even though we all come from different planets, we all share the same goal: to perform for a better placement, to survive, and to ascend to Godhood!"
A wave of cheers erupts from the Stars, their voices echoing across the deck in agreement.
Rose smirks and raises a fist. "I am Rose Diamondfuel of Planet Isha, and I will lead us to the mothership! Destroying it will surely earn us even more points. Let us carry on!"
With their objective set, the battleship surges forward, cutting through the waves toward the mothership. Other battleships, also sail nearby towards the mothership.
On Team Echo's battleship, the Stars are locked in a fierce shootout against the guards defending the ship. Blaster fire streaks across the deck as bodies fall on both sides.
Ortis moves through the chaos, his rifle steady as he fires at the enemy, taking down a couple of guards. Suddenly, a shot rings out from his flank—an enemy has gotten the drop on him. Just as the bullet is about to land, a precise shot intercepts it, striking down the attacking guard.
Ortis turns to see his butler lowering his firearm. "You have my thanks."
His gaze then shifts across the battlefield, spotting Gaia's butler nearby, skillfully suppressing enemy forces with calculated shots. Without hesitation, Ortis and his butler move to his side, working in perfect coordination to clear out the guards in that sector.
As another wave of enemies returns fire, the three of them take cover behind a steel barrier, bullets ricocheting around them. Catching his breath, Ortis looks at both men, his voice carrying a rare sincerity. "This might be our last time alive, so I'll say it now—I don't see either of you as mere butlers anymore. I see you as equals. And I, Ortis Goldenbell, wishes to know your true names."
His butler straightens with a proud expression. "It would be an honor, Sir Ortis. My name is Oliver Dale." Sharing one's name with a noble was considered the highest mark of respect, and he gladly bestows it.
Gaia's butler, however, remains unmoved. "I do not serve you as my master, Sir Ortis. Telling you my name would grant me no honor, for I will only be honored once Lady Gaia deems me worthy of sharing it."
Ortis then seriously says. "Forget all of that! Forget that I am a noble! I, too, serve only for Lady Gaia. We are equals!"
Gaia's butler is taken aback. A butler's life is one of servitude—granted the privilege to live above commoners, yet bound to their noble masters. But here stands Ortis, a noble himself, rejecting the hierarchy, seeing them as his peers.
After a brief silence, Gaia's butler exhales, his eyes filled with newfound respect. "Your devotion to Lady Gaia is as strong as mine. You surprise me, Sir Ortis. We may never see Lady Gaia again among the nine billion Stars, but if this is your wish, then so be it. I am honored to share my name with you—Hopper Gates."
A smile spreads across Ortis's face. "Now that we stand as equals, I ask one thing—let us not waste our lives for each other. We must fight and survive for Lady Gaia!"
As the chaos of battle rages on, a massive shadow looms overhead. The flying mecha soars through the sky, unleashing a barrage of mini beams that rain destruction onto the deck. Small explosions rip through the ship, tearing apart steel and flesh alike. Stars are sent flying, their bodies consumed in flames.
A beam strikes dangerously close to Ortis and his companions. The explosion hurls them backward, slamming them against the deck. Dazed, Ortis struggles to his feet, his ears ringing. His eyes widen in horror as he sees Oliver lying on the ground, his body torn by shrapnel, blood pooling beneath him.
"No! This is too soon! You can't die now, not after what we just established, Oliver!" Ortis cries, scrambling to his side, his voice cracking with grief.
Oliver weakly opens his eyes, blood seeping from his mouth. "Sir Ortis... it was an honor to serve you... since you were a child... Keep fighting... live up to your noble name, become a Go—" His voice fades, his body going still.
A heavy silence lingers.
Ortis clenches his fists, his breath shaky as emotions swirl violently within him. His grief twists into rage. Without hesitation, he grabs his rifle and charges toward the mecha.
Hopper leaps after him, grabbing his arm. "Stop, Ortis! We're no match for that thing! What happened to surviving for Lady Gaia's sake? We can't die here! If you must die, then let it be at Lady Gaia's side, not now!"
Ortis yanks his arm free, his voice raw. "As a noble, I should act with logic. But emotions make me weaker than the others—don't you understand? You've been by Lady Gaia's side for most of her life. You've built a connection with her. Imagine having that ripped away before you could even fulfill your purpose!" He grits his teeth, eyes filled with fury. "Oliver wasn't just my butler… He was my friend! He—"
His words are cut short as his emotions take full control. He raises his rifle and fires, his bullets striking the mecha's head. The massive machine halts in midair, its glowing eyes locking onto him.
The mecha lifts its arm, a deadly energy beam charging in its palm. Ortis keeps firing, his hands shaking, his vision blurred by the tears streaming down his face.
Hopper sprints toward him. "ORTIS!"
Before he can reach him, a small metallic object sails through the air—
A flashbang grenade.
It detonates just in front of the mecha, releasing an intense burst of light and sound. The mecha stumbles onto the ship, its targeting system thrown into disarray.
Ortis watches in shock and awe as Gaia rushes toward the towering mecha, her presence igniting a renewed sense of hope within him.
The mecha, recovering from the flashbang, quickly fires an energy beam from its palm. Gaia dodges with expert agility, and in that instant, the devices on her wrists hum to life. Glowing data fragments materialize, dancing around her before intercepting the missed energy beam. The fragments guide the beam in a full U-turn, sending it crashing back into the mecha with a violent explosion.
As smoke engulfs the battlefield, Gaia glances down at her broken wrist devices. "Yeah, just as expected—a one-time use." She raises her voice. "Yuri, give it to me!"
From the chaos, Yuri rushes forward, carrying a makeshift cannon crafted from the very shock collars that once imprisoned them. He tosses it to Gaia, who catches it mid-stride. Before she can react further, the mecha emerges from the smoke, its armor charred but still intact.
It fires another volley of energy beams. Gaia dashes through the battlefield, dodging each shot with precise movements, all while charging the cannon. Step by step, she closes the distance.
Inside the mecha, the commander's eyes narrow as he watches her movements. "This one moves differently than the others... She's on another level." His voice is filled with both awe and concern. "In such a short amount of time, she's already delved deep into our technology and advanced it to the stage of data manipulation. And she has already tinkered our shock collars into an electro-cannon. This one... this one is beyond the others. She could be a threat to the entire planet!"
Gaia lunges forward, leveling the cannon. She release the trigger.
A sphere of crackling electricity launches from the barrel, striking the mecha square in the chest. The powerful force sends it hurtling into the sea. The impact ignites a chain reaction, sending bolts of electricity surging through the water. A thunderous explosion follows.
Gaia exhales, watching as the cannon in her hands crumbles apart. "The prototype only had a 43% success rate... Luck was actually on our side."
Ortis, overwhelmed with relief, collapses to his knees. "She's here, thank the gods..." His chest tightens, a mix of gratitude and exhaustion washing over him.
But before anyone can fully process the victory, the sea suddenly erupts. The damaged mecha bursts out of the water, its thrusters roaring as it speeds away into the sky.
Gaia narrows her eyes. "I figured this ship was too small to be the mothership." She turns to the others. "Come on! We need to take over this ship and catch up with that mecha!"
With renewed determination, they charge forward, engaging the remaining guards in battle.