Flyer Civilization.
Kamelin star system.
A gigantic planet exists here, with a diameter of 27,000 kilometers, a circumference of 84,800 kilometers, and a surface area of 2.29 billion square kilometers—more than four times the size of Earth.
The planet is surrounded by five suns.
This is a quintuple star system.
The downside is the extreme surface heat.
But the advantage is clear: abundant energy.
For a Type 2 civilization, this level of thermal energy isn't a problem.
In fact, it's an excellent energy source.
After Luna and the other Kirara landed, they found the surface covered in sand.
But when she stepped on it, the ground felt surprisingly soft, not like sand.
She crouched down and picked up some "sand."
This wasn't sand; it was artificial.
The particles were perfect dodecahedrons, thinly spread across the planet's surface, less than 10cm thick.
Haru, seeing Luna's expression, said, "These are called Z-collectors. They absorb solar energy."
"The Z-collectors on this planet's surface are harvested after they're full, then their energy is extracted before they're replaced."
"The energy they provide is significant, sufficient for this planet's daily needs."
Luna knew what this meant.
In reality, this method of energy collection is incredibly inefficient.
As Haru mentioned, it only satisfies daily needs, not industrial or research demands.
However, manufacturing and maintaining these collectors must be relatively easy. Perhaps the Flyer Civilization uses them simply for aesthetic purposes?
Luna wasn't sure.
But the sand-covered planet's surface was undeniably beautiful.
The Z-collector crystals shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight; prolonged exposure might induce visual hallucinations.
The Flyer Civilization, as before, had established their settlements underground.
Perhaps they had simply become accustomed to this lifestyle.
Luna was curious.
"Why did you initially choose a microscopic approach?"
This question is addressed in the Flyer Civilization's historical records.
But Luna felt there must be more than one reason.
Haru pondered, "Perhaps our ancestors felt we were too weak. If we developed macroscopic technology, other civilizations might detect us."
"In the early days of our civilization, we discovered some spaceship wreckage in space."
"From then on, our ancestors knew that more advanced civilizations existed."
Microscopic technology.
Would remain undetected.
So the Flyer Civilization shifted its research focus to the microscopic level.
Of course, this decision took thousands of years of debate.
Some favored the microscopic approach; others championed macroscopic technology.
But at a certain point, microscopic technology exploded.
Macroscopic technology gradually declined.
This is that period of history.
Haru didn't hesitate to share this with Luna.
This history, tracing back to the origins of the Flyer Civilization, could piece together fragments of their past.
Once assembled, it might unlock the secrets of the Flyer Civilization.
But Luna didn't have that intention.
Civilizations undergo countless transformations throughout their development.
Many ancient aspects become obsolete.
Humanity, from the 18th to the 21st century, abandoned most feudal customs within two or three hundred years, retaining only beneficial aspects.
A civilization that has developed for hundreds of thousands of years, exploring the cosmos for an equal length of time, has undergone immense changes.
Their transformations are monumental.
The key of history might unlock a door.
But a civilization has more than one door.
Luna followed Haru and the others to a small slope on the planet's surface.
Only then did she realize how incredibly flat the surface was.
The Flyer Civilization must have leveled the entire planet during its development.
Of course, the planet's own properties played a role.
Larger planets have stronger gravity.
With stronger gravity, the planet would be more spherical; massive mountains wouldn't be as prevalent.
For example, the tallest mountain in the Solar System is on Mars.
On Earth, a mountain several tens of thousands of meters high would be unsustainable.
This planet's surface was likely relatively flat to begin with, with the highest mountains perhaps only one or two thousand meters high.
For better solar energy absorption, or perhaps for construction purposes,
the Flyer Civilization leveled the surface.
This small slope was only two or three meters high. Haru had likely been here before, or perhaps all Flyer Civilization entrances…were similar.
He naturally approached the slope, his body shrinking as he moved closer.
This resembled a shrinking tunnel in a shrinking dream.
But the differences were substantial.
Luna also approached the slope, her body also shrinking.
She could clearly feel a field enveloping them, acting on the atomic level, compressing the atoms.
Or perhaps, on an even smaller scale, causing the entire body to shrink.
When she shrunk to the point where the dodecahedral Z-collectors appeared as immense buildings, her shrinking stopped.
The entire team had shrunk as well.
They continued forward.
Passing through the gaps between the dodecahedrons, they reached the slope.
A clear metallic passage was visible on the slope.
It appeared immense.
But viewed macroscopically, it was smaller than the surrounding dodecahedrons.
They entered the metallic passage.
The passage was transparent, emitting a blue metallic glow at intervals.
Haru told Luna it was radiation.
However, the radiation level was minimal; the metallic structure of the passage contained trace amounts of fluorescent material that emitted this light.
Luna didn't appreciate its aesthetic qualities.
Haru, however, loved this design.
Indeed.
While the scientific and technological aspects were comparable,
the artistic differences between civilizations were vast.
The passage wasn't long.
At the end, she saw an immense world.
This world had sunlight and a sky.
The ground was a boundless expanse of red earth, covered with scattered glass fragments, and purple plants grew around the glass.
These plants looked like sponges—
not dishwashing sponges, but the kind that grow on the ocean floor.
The overall world was bright, resembling a desolate yet strangely beautiful desert.
Haru soared into the sky, gazing into the distance.
Then, landing with a joyful expression, he said to Luna, "Welcome to Kamelin!"
"This is a beautiful Class 2 city!"
A Class 2 city.
Luna was familiar with this classification.
The Flyer Civilization divided its cities, or perhaps more accurately, its "Citadels," into several tiers:
Apex Citadel, Zenith Citadel, Paragon Citadel, and Bastion Citadel.
The Apex Citadel was the highest rank, a Class 1 city.
The entire Flyer Civilization possessed only one, located at the Monarch's seat.
Following in descending order were Class 2, 3, and 4 cities.
Luna didn't know the exact number of cities, but it likely wasn't large.
On the planet Bill was stationed, there was only a Bastion Citadel. Given the Flyer Civilization's limited number of star systems, Luna estimated only a few hundred cities in total.
Following the Class 1, 2, 3, and 4 hierarchy, it resembled a pyramid structure.
Thus, a Class 2 city was quite rare.
This was evident in Haru's tone.
Introducing Kamelin, he sounded like a Federation citizen describing the Alpha Eridani Mobius Ringworld.
This was Luna's first time entering a Flyer Civilization city.
Calling it a city was a misnomer; it was a miniature world created by the Flyer Civilization.
It felt like a blessed land from a fantasy novel, with a completely different appearance from the outside.
"This doesn't look like a city, Haru!"
Luna herself examined her surroundings, finding no signs of civilization except for the tunnel they were in.
Haru told Luna not to rush.
This world wasn't simple.
He led Luna deeper, and she discovered that the world was layered.
It was a world of concentric circles, tiered like a staircase.
The very center, the lowest point, contained a structure.
The architecture was bizarre.
It resembled coral, or, less eloquently, a branching tree. A central structure extended outwards with even longer branches, their purpose unknown.
From a distance, the structure appeared small.
But upon closer inspection, Luna realized it was truly massive.
Each branch appeared to be several hundred meters in diameter, and the central structure alone covered an area of millions of square meters.
Of course, this was based on Luna's current scale.
It was truly enormous.
The outer structure seemed to be made of a type of mud, full of irregular holes.
After Haru brought Luna inside, she appreciated its beauty.
The interior architecture consisted of standard, modernized metal corridors, though these corridors were circular.
The Kirara also used flight, making circular corridors more convenient for them.
Luna saw a few Kirara approaching from within.
The Kirara glanced at Luna and then left.
Luna felt like she was being treated as an animal.
Although she was an animal, she wasn't a wild animal.
"This building is a typical Kamelin structure. To reach the city, we need to go down."
Following the "branch" passage forward, they quickly reached a pillar, which indeed led to a vertical downward passage.
Theoretically, this city was divided into many layers.
Luna estimated the first floor to be at least 1 million square kilometers.
She wondered what the lower levels were like.
Descending with Haru for about 20 kilometers, a massive city came into view.
The entire space was supported by dozens of enormous red pillars, each resembling a building. These structures were connected by transparent tubes that resembled roots, extending downwards.
Continuously, items were transported through this system to this level, then moved by machine-like structures to various parts of the city.
The city itself looked relatively low, composed entirely of hemispherical buildings.
They were entirely white, without any other colors, resembling a collection of metallic tents.
It didn't look particularly unusual, except for the purple objects suspended in the air—objects that looked strangely organic, almost like some kind of creature.
However, it was apparent that they were suspended from above by numerous lines descending from what appeared to be a modified sky, or perhaps a "sky" made of artificial material.
These purple objects seemed to drip a purple slime.
Each object had a circular basin beneath it.
"What are those?" Luna asked. She often asked direct questions.
Haru was happy to answer.
"Pianos."
"Not the musical instruments of your human civilization, but rather something between plants and animals, according to our definitions."
"They are artificial, not naturally occurring."
"They secrete a slime, which is what you see below."
"This slime contains substances that stimulate the neurological activity of our species. In short, it enhances intelligence."
"The Kamelin once used these to become a Class 2 city."
"Of course, we can now synthesize these substances, but the pianos are preserved."
A strange custom.
A powerful civilization always pursues spiritual pleasure. Just as humans enjoy a vast array of things, the "pianos" are a source of enjoyment for the Flyer Civilization.
Luna felt a little embarrassed.
Aesthetic values have diverged.
At first, there was alignment.
Then, some differences.
Now, a complete reversal.
Luna descended into the city with Haru.
Kirara were everywhere, their beautiful wings fluttering.
"Our destination isn't here, but on a lower level. This is a residential area."
This gave Luna a feeling reminiscent of Free Star City.
They continued their descent.
The observation station above also seemed to be layered.
Each level offered a different landscape.
However, the deeper they went, the more advanced technology became visible.
On the third level, countless metal structures floated in the air.
Their purpose was unclear, but they certainly weren't living quarters; they were completely sealed.
When Luna asked Haru, it didn't answer, only saying, "We're almost there."
"The higher-ups wish to meet you and discuss the next steps."
Haru's demeanor became serious.
It had received a message.
The bubble was beginning to contract, but as it contracted, immense energy was being compressed and released, continuing to spread outwards.
...
Beneath the countless metal spheres was a vast ocean of liquid oxygen, utterly frigid.
Oxygen, at around -183°C, becomes liquid; at -222°C, it solidifies.
This illustrated just how cold it was here.
The constantly evaporating liquid oxygen filled the space, with oxygen concentration exceeding 95%.
Luna saw creatures within the liquid oxygen.
They were bizarre, almost plant-like: a large central bulb with several long, seaweed-like appendages extending outwards.
These creatures lay quietly in the liquid oxygen; not dead, but in a state of suspended animation.
Haru plunged directly into the liquid oxygen.
The liquid oxygen instantly boiled around her.
The other Kirara followed suit.
Luna did as well.
Underneath the liquid oxygen, it was much like a normal underwater world, though here, there were many metallic structures.
These metallic structures resembled large and small mushrooms.
The "caps" of each mushroom were connected, forming a massive array.
The entire array looked like a dense honeycomb, but with many empty spaces; the bottom resembled fungal hyphae.
These structures, clustered together, formed a large hemisphere.
Luna noticed the Kirara seemed to favor hemispherical structures.
Even the previous dimensional observation station was hemispherical.
Approaching, countless circular patterns were visible across the array. These patterns were connected by irregular curves, with faint glows emanating from within the lines.
Luna sensed that these lights weren't RGB LEDs, but electrical currents.
The entire massive array seemed to be a chip-like structure.
At a smaller scale, Luna saw even more of these circuits.
They were incredibly microscopic.
Even at Luna's reduced size, many details of these lines were indistinguishable.
These lines were certainly at the nanoscale; Luna couldn't determine the exact size.
Entering the giant array, the surroundings became surreal.
Dense particles filled the space.
These particles were like dust motes in the air, yet resembled water beads that expand in water; they packed the entire space.
To move forward, one had to push them aside.
Touching them, Luna felt a strange sensation.
This was beneath the liquid oxygen; it should have been extremely cold.
Yet, she felt these spherical particles were warm.
Each sphere contained a core.
The core was a hemisphere, each seemingly enclosing something.
Passing through the particles, a massive air bubble separated everything. Entering the bubble, Luna saw a ring-like structure.
Below the ring, she finally saw her destination: a gigantic, chain-like city.
The city resembled countless connected cellular structures, or perhaps a magnified water-absorbing sponge.
After passing through the ring, Luna felt herself becoming even smaller. Within this city, she felt like she was at the bottom of a container.
The structure was as if a bottle of water had been inverted, with numerous water beads trapped at the mouth of the bottle. A ring was placed inside the bottle's cap, and a sponge rested beneath the ring.
A rather abstract description.
In short, it wasn't aesthetically pleasing.
At least, not in terms of city design.
The "sponge" was transparent, with the Kirara's wings reflecting light throughout, creating a chaotic, dazzling array of colors.
Several scholars behind Luna experienced a dizzying sensation within a minute of entering.
Haru led Luna and the others into a transparent structure.
"Wait here for a moment; I'll be right back."
Haru left.
Luna carefully touched a nearby wall.
She felt a gritty texture.
This gritty sensation likely came from the structure's constituent particles, perhaps even atoms.
She was incredibly small.
Using her quark robot for measurement, she determined her current height to be less than 100 yoctometers—0.1 nanometers.
Simply terrifyingly small.
The key was that her mass hadn't changed.
The mass of the entire structure hadn't changed either.
This level of mass reduction, while not quite a black hole, felt remarkably similar.
Luna waited for a long time.
But she didn't see any Kirara approach.
Until a scholar tried to leave and discovered the exit was sealed; they were trapped.
Luna frowned.
This wasn't good news!
She sensed something was amiss.
After about three hours, still no one came.
Instead, the structure they were in began to move.
They entered darkness.
Soon, a beam of light shone from outside.
The structure shattered.
Luna and the others were engulfed in the light.
Almost instantly, five scholars around her screamed in agony as the light dissolved their bodies.
Luna experienced the same.
However, she had preemptively used her quark robot to sever her neural connections, destroying the parts of her brain responsible for pain.
The light washed over her; her body began regenerating.
Luna's flesh dissolved and reformed.
She cried out, "Haru, do you intend to destroy the peace between our civilizations?"
She knew Haru was the mastermind.
Haru's voice was cold.
"Peace?"
"No, there has never been peace between civilizations."
"Like your Federation, preemptively occupying the sectors surrounding ours, using it as coercion."
"Just like your joint invitation, it carries a strong ulterior motive, a motive filled with malice."
"Especially you, Luna!"
"Your political machinations are too strong."
Luna paused, then said, "Facing dimensional incursions, without the Federation's support, how would your Flyer Civilization resist?"
A broken relationship would push the Flyer Civilization further into the abyss.
Haru knew Luna was right.
That's why he had already planned this.
"Therefore, if you hadn't come here, I wouldn't have acted."
"But you came."
"And here, no one knows your condition."
"Regarding the dimensional invasion, you must believe it will force our civilizations to cooperate."
"But that's precisely it!"
"Actually, I didn't initially think that way, Luna."
"But the dimensional invasion came, and your aggressive actions made me feel intensely threatened."
"Our civilization hasn't experienced war in a long time; the Flyer Civilization has lost its fighting spirit. Your Galactic Federation likely has more such individuals; this is the difference between our civilizations."
"If our civilizations truly cooperate, we'll be at a disadvantage, growing weaker with time and the dimensional invasion."
"That's your opportunity to devour us."
"I won't allow that to happen. Our civilization will not yield!"
Luna only now realized that Haru was an extreme conservative.
His thinking was extremely conservative, to the point of resorting to such drastic measures to contain her.
The dimensional invasion was an opportunity.
Haru saw the Flyer Civilization's predicament.
And in this predicament, allowing someone like Luna to exist within the Flyer Civilization would cause extreme unrest.
One option was stubborn resistance.
The other was cooperation with the Federation.
Only these two choices existed.
Luna was a danger.
Her willpower was a significant threat to Haru.
An individual unafraid of death, an extremely reckless individual, traversing their civilization—this itself was an act of madness.
Haru had to stop her!
But his power was limited.
His only solution was to capture Luna.
"So, how do you intend to dispose of me?" Luna asked.
She roughly understood Haru's motives.
Such thinking was naive and ridiculous in politics.
But it was also an immutable mindset, rooted in the opposition between civilizations.
Luna now realized she might have oversimplified the merging of civilizations.
Even if civilizations begin cooperating...
If individuals within a civilization harbor mutual hatred and conflict, two civilizations will still struggle to merge.
Unless the highest echelons make a concerted effort.
But would the Flyer Civilization's Monarch easily give that up?
Luna thought of that colossal figure.
Its demeanor seemed conciliatory, displaying a willingness to cooperate.
But Luna wouldn't believe a civilization's ruler was a benevolent leader.
Even without calling him a ruler, just a typical member of the upper echelons of society—they wouldn't be simple, they wouldn't be weak.
Because society is a pyramid; standing at its apex means countless people are beneath your feet.
This is inevitable.
Did the Flyer Civilization's Monarch think this way?
He surely wanted to secure the maximum benefit for his civilization.
While Luna aimed to acquire the Flyer Civilization, the Flyer Civilization certainly didn't intend to acquire humanity.
"Disposal?"
"No, you are a valuable research subject."
"Through you, we can observe the majority of human civilization."
Haru's voice resonated.
He wouldn't easily kill Luna.
Everything in Luna's mind was precious.
He knew that someone like Luna would have encoded information in their mind. But it didn't matter; any encoding could be broken with sufficient time.
As Haru finished speaking, Luna felt her eyelids growing heavy.
Overwhelming sleepiness overcame her, and she fell into a deep slumber.
The light continued to shine.
Luna's body was constantly being destroyed and reborn.
Nearby Kirara attempted to shut off the light, but Haru stopped them.
"Observe its limits."
Haru wanted to understand Luna's body.
He had been curious since Luna's first division.
The Flyer Civilization didn't possess particularly advanced biological technology.
While they had accumulated some biological knowledge and were themselves biological beings, they had essentially abandoned further exploration in biology.
No matter how strong a biological organism might be, it was powerless against machinery.
But human civilization seemed to have delved deeply into biology.
Including what he was seeing now.
However, after a considerable time, over a hundred hours, Luna's bodily regeneration still hadn't ended.
It seemed her body's growth was limitless.
Haru finally decided to stop waiting, shutting off the light and preparing to cut a piece of Luna's flesh for research.
The instant the light was cut off, Luna's body rapidly expanded.
At this rate, even miniaturization couldn't contain it.
In less than ten seconds, her body filled the entire space.
The growth continued.
The structure itself seemed to creak and groan.
Haru was shocked: "What in the world is this?"
"Illuminate it!"
He commanded. Nearby Kirara tried to turn on the lights but found them ineffective.
After several attempts, they confirmed it.
"The lights seem to have been crushed by that…flesh."
Haru's heart sank.
He left the observation room and went to the cell where Luna was held.
The once-thick door was now warped and cracked.
Crimson blood flowed from the crack.
The blood was rapidly growing into new flesh.
Haru threw a small sphere towards it.
The sphere exploded on contact with the flesh.
A terrifying green flame erupted.
The sphere contained a special substance that absorbed nutrients, rapidly growing while being highly flammable and heat-resistant.
The combustion generated temperatures exceeding 1600°C, capable of scorching 100 square kilometers of land in an hour.
This was just a small tool.
An experimental item for Haru.
"I didn't expect this to work."
He watched as the flesh was gradually consumed by the flames.
Then, he ordered openings to be made in other parts of the wall and repeated the process.
"This should do it."
He breathed a sigh of relief.
But the burning slowed; soon, the flesh began to withstand the heat, even absorbing it and spreading faster.
The speed was terrifying. Had he not flown away quickly, he would have been engulfed.
He flew out of the building.
The building itself was now cracking, spewing blood.
"What in the world is this thing?!"
If this had been outside, he could have used powerful weapons to destroy it.
But this was within Kamelin.
He couldn't use those weapons here.
He could only watch the flesh expand.
Some blood splattered far away.
That blood began to grow, transforming into Luna's form.
Once Luna's form was complete, she opened her eyes and looked at Haru.
"A rather immature decision."
"You're better suited to being a scholar than playing political games. It doesn't suit you."
Having said that, Luna bit off her hand, scattering blood everywhere.
This blood grew into more Lunas.
Each Luna rapidly grew, until Haru was dwarfed before them.
"Stop this!"
"I won't attack you again." Haru was now genuinely afraid.
At this rate, all of Kamelin would be destroyed.
This endlessly growing flesh was simply monstrous.
Luna said, "It's useless; I can't stop it."
"I will gradually consume this entire planet, then continue to expand. When my size reaches a certain point, and nuclear fusion begins within me, I will gain more energy and continue expanding."
"Until I collapse into a black hole."
"Of course, you could destroy me with a black hole beforehand."
Metacellular was Pandora's Box.
Once opened, it could never be closed.
In her final moments of unconsciousness, Luna released the restrictions on her internal quark robot.
Metacellular could consume energy to grow rapidly.
Metacellular incorporated some supreme gene pools like the King's Feast gene.
This gene had been modified by Ayla over a thousand years, becoming even more powerful.
It could consume everything, including light and heat.
That's why her body grew so rapidly initially.
Metacellular wasn't actually artificial flesh.
The fundamental atoms and particles making up Metacellular were artificially created by the Federation. Luna had transcended the limitations of life; however, because her consciousness hadn't changed, and Metacellular mimicked human hormones and substances, it took on a human form.
This was a kind of compromise.
Not for greater strength.
But for encoding.
Haru thought by rendering Luna unconscious, he could extract her memories.
But in reality, Luna's memories weren't stored in her brain, but within her consciousness.
Her consciousness and Metacellular were inextricably linked.
Metacellular was both the decoder and the sole decoder of Luna's consciousness.
To probe Luna's memories, Metacellular had to be activated. Activating Metacellular meant it would begin to grow and expand.
Without activation, Metacellular would decay.
Metacellular was a cell with a high energy requirement; rapid growth meant rapid decay.
In Kamelin, Luna grew rapidly.
Her size was now over ten thousand meters.
Her flesh voraciously consumed all surrounding matter and energy.
Everything around her collapsed under her consumption.
A Kirara flew to Haru: "Overseer Haru, we can't let her expand further. She'll destroy the structure, causing Kamelin to collapse."
The first layer of Kamelin was over one million square kilometers.
It only got larger deeper down.
What Luna had seen previously was merely the tip of the iceberg.
At the lowest layer, beyond the city, was an even vaster space.
This space contained countless microscopic resources.
Exploiting these resources and generating energy was what sustained Kamelin's miniaturization.
If miniaturization failed, the planet would become like popcorn.
What Haru hadn't told Luna was that he was a second-rank title holder.
In the Flyer Civilization, fourth rank is Lord, third rank is Warden, second rank is Overseer, and the highest rank is Archon.
Haru's territory was within Kamelin; he was the granddaughter of the previous Kamelin Archon.
"We can't let this thing destroy Kamelin."
"Let me think…what can stop her?"
Haru was now in a desperate situation.
Because Luna's growth rate was far too fast.
"Right, that thing." Haru, being a scholar, had many inventions.
He remembered an invention that might work.
That invention was in his home.
He flew towards his home, hoping it hadn't been consumed yet.
His speed was remarkable.
Miniaturized lifeforms aren't inherently fast; their density is millions or even tens of millions of times greater than metal, making even small movements extremely slow.
If miniaturized bodies moved as quickly as they did at normal size, any limb movement would be like teleportation, completely uncontrollable.
Automatic adjustment devices could be created, but that's theoretical.
In reality, extreme density made movement difficult.
Haru's ability to move so quickly was due to a small propulsion device on his back.
He reached his home in a matter of seconds.
It looked no different from other areas—the same transparent, microscopic calcite-like structures.
Flyer Civilization beings, after so many years, had become indifferent to their dwellings.
They revered smallness.
Haru entered his laboratory.
The room was sparsely furnished; several filaments were suspended in the air.
When they needed to sleep or rest, these filaments would extend, enveloping their bodies like insects forming cocoons.
There were no household items in the room.
The Federation was much the same, actually.
Vast spaces were often used for display, showcasing wealth.
Household items were a return to simplicity.
But most people lived minimally, with homes of only a few square meters, containing little more than a cryosleep pod.
And in the Federation, dining and similar activities weren't about enjoying fine food but about socializing.
The Federation had long since entered an era of low desire.
Perhaps it had always been this way.
Many desires no longer excited Federation citizens.
Things like the pleasure of eating, sexual desire—these had become habitual.
Easily simulated in virtual worlds.
Haru found the item in the laboratory.
It was a vial of liquid.
Its effect was simple: absorbing energy to fuel rapid growth.
This wasn't difficult to make.
After all, the growth of an organism is natural; cells absorb energy and divide. Some life forms are single-celled organisms that grow by absorbing energy.
Nothing too unusual.
By the time Haru picked up the vial, Luna's size had increased several dozen times—in just a few seconds.
He exited the room and threw the vial at Luna.
The vial shattered from a strange energy, its contents splashing onto Luna.
A normal-sized Luna appeared nearby.
She transferred the internal quark robot to this newly formed body.
Luna now saw the substance; clinging to the massive mass of Luna's flesh, it began absorbing Luna's energy, even suppressing her growth.
Haru was overjoyed.
But Luna shook her head.
"Do you think something like this can stop me?"
"If this were a void, maybe. Or if your creation had greater consumption capabilities than mine."
"But unfortunately, it doesn't."
"This is merely a substance that consumes matter."
"Haru, you're a good scholar. Stick to scholarship."
"When you developed murderous intent towards me, you made a mistake. Because you couldn't be certain your actions were correct."
"As a scholar, you should understand this. Don't meddle in matters beyond your comprehension."
Haru looked at Luna's calm composure; only now did he truly feel Luna's terrifying nature.
This terror wasn't about strength or ability.
But about her extreme composure and indifference.
She paid no attention to anything; she stood there like an observer.
Her gaze never lingered here, always looking higher.
A condescending indifference towards everything.
"Miniaturization is for centralized power. As a second-rank Overseer, you must have a broader perspective!"
While speaking, Luna looked in another direction.
"Why haven't you acted yet? Civilization's Monarch!"
The instant Luna spoke those words, the expansion of one of her forms ceased.
Then, in the next instant, that form vanished, along with the others—without a trace.
Luna couldn't visually track what method was used.
But the technique was terrifying.
It destroyed Luna, but left everything around untouched.