She shook her hand slightly, feeling a little unaccustomed.
Though Celenova didn't quite understand why Zulo hadn't shown himself directly, that didn't stop her from putting her plan into motion.
Her tall figure moved in the direction where the swarm had been detected, leading all the Galaxy Rangers—like a torrent rushing through the cosmos—sweeping overwhelmingly toward the Legion!
Celenova raised her hand and clenched it abruptly.
Asteroids, meteorites, and other scattered debris… all converged by the power of Destruction, collapsing violently inward.
Blocked and flicked away by Celenova, the massive celestial body continued to collapse as it hurtled with terrifying momentum toward the Legion.
It shrank into a tiny black dot, just as it fell right into their ranks.
Though it hadn't reached the level of a black hole, its fearsome gravitational pull was still enough to tear a vast vacuum in space instantly.
And as it advanced, it violently ripped a huge breach in the encirclement.
Seizing the chance, Celenova led the Galaxy Rangers charging out from the planet, rushing together toward the chaos.
They broke free from the Legion's encirclement, coordinating smoothly with the other Galaxy Rangers.
But just then, an equally colossal, Destruction-tainted humanoid monster rose from the Legion's ranks.
The Emanator's wrath, together with its enormous fist, came crashing down toward Celenova.
Yet again, Celenova answered with her sharp claws!
BOOM——!!!!!
The collision between Emanators released an appalling burst of energy, forcing both the Legion and the Galaxy Rangers back.
Celenova used the recoil to leap away, luring Zulo to give chase.
But Zulo was baffled.
In that brief exchange, he had sensed a deeply familiar power—Destruction!
Beneath the guise of Harmony lay an overwhelming, extreme aura of Destruction!!
"Who are you?!"
Zulo demanded, bewildered.
He charged toward Celenova immediately.
There were seven Emanators of Destruction in total, but this one… a female in white and purple robes…
She didn't match any known one, not even Phantylia.
Besides, Phantylia couldn't possibly wield such potent Harmony power.
"Me? I'm here to replace you."
"Hah! Arrogant fool!"
Across the vast starry river, commanding the full might of his Legion, Zulo lunged to kill 'Celenova'!
Celenova let out a soft hum of disdain, lifted her hand, and swung.
A barren planet was violently torn from its orbit, shrunk and compressed into a long blade, gripped firmly in Celenova's hand.
Then—she swung it down!
BOOM——!!!!
The power of Destruction, together with the united will of countless Galaxy Rangers, transformed into a light that set the silent cosmos ablaze!
It met Zulo's fist head-on.
But this time—
"Ahhh—!!"
The blade sliced through Zulo's arm, spilling scorching golden blood.
Zulo roared wildly, swinging out with his other hand.
His body ignited with terrifying flames, the massive fist—jagged and sharp—slammed hard toward Celenova's body.
BOOM——!!!
Celenova raised her blade to block, but the colossal force still sent her flying. Flames engulfed her form, only to be swiftly devoured by the light-warping blade in her hand.
Celenova flicked her wrist.
This guy… all brute strength.
And after two clashes, Celenova had mostly figured it out.
Though she lacked solid proof, this Zulo most likely represented… Order.
Choosing not to clash head-on again, Celenova continued fighting while retreating alongside the Galaxy Rangers.
Zulo didn't seem to care at all; his injured arm healed rapidly.
He laughed maniacally, bellowing across the cosmos, his extreme power of Destruction nearly resonating through the entire "Galaxy."
"You think you can smash me?! Useless!! And you—damned traitor, disgusting wretch—I'll tear your head off myself and turn your remains into my puppet!!"
Just as Celenova had roughly sensed Zulo's Path, Zulo too had felt that thick, nauseating, dreadful power.
Now, his goal had shifted.
More than those insignificant Galaxy Rangers, what he truly wanted now… was this woman's death!!
He would wrench her head from her shoulders, fashion her broken body into a puppet for his Legion!
Use Order to dominate this spy!
Celenova remained unmoved, scoffing at Zulo's threats.
"You enormous beast—from the moment you grew accustomed to domination and arrogance, you were destined to be cast aside by this era!"
He really was arrogant to the point of blindness, this guy.
Had he grown so used to domination that he believed himself peerless?
In that moment, she thought she understood, just a little, why Nanook had granted her this power.
And Nanook's goal was to destroy Paths—so he kept elevating beings from different Paths to serve as his Emanators.
Zulo's emergence had come long after the birth of the Harmony Aeon, Xipe.
Back then, perhaps Nanook had sought to exploit the lingering echoes of Order, trying to use what remained of it to dismantle the Harmony.
In theory, it could have worked.
But then Celenova had suddenly appeared.
'Celenova' guessed:
Nanook wanted to see—
Would it be Celenova of Harmony who triumphed, or Zulo of Order who could overpower Celenova?
Either outcome would help Nanook make his choice.
He wasn't even worried that Celenova might not confront Zulo.
Given Celenova's identity, if Zulo learned of it, he would actively seek to destroy her himself.
In the blink of an eye, 'Celenova' had pondered all this.
But she didn't particularly care about such matters.
Emotional resonance and her own life were what truly mattered.
Nanook had already extended her lifespan by a hundred years—what was wrong with helping him out a little?
BOOM—!!!
She swung her blade again and again.
'Celenova' was sent flying backward once more, pretending to be struck down, steadily luring Zulo toward the predetermined location.
She kept feigning weakness, making Zulo believe he held the upper hand. But in reality, after all this fighting, it was his Legion that had lost more.
Yet Zulo, it seemed, had grown too accustomed to his lofty position.
He didn't care how many of his Legion died.
He only knew the one he wanted to crush was right before him.
And she was waiting to be crushed!
Meanwhile, this was the first time the Galaxy Rangers had experienced this kind of battle.
Although the most intense frontline combat was between Zulo and Lady Celenova, each of them felt as if they were standing in Zulo's presence themselves—as if they had become that woman, gripping the long blade, locked in relentless battle with Zulo.
And as this sensation spread, the Galaxy Rangers grew more and more exhilarated, the distractions in their minds quickly fading away.
Only one thought remained:
Annihilate the Legion!
Kill Zulo!!
Countless Galaxy Rangers, each with distinct traits and personalities, in that moment aligned toward the same hunting goal, achieving an unprecedented unity of mind.
One became many; the many became one.
Extreme conviction and purpose.
Under Celenova' leadership, they perfectly realized the ideal of Harmony.
What was once a loosely connected collective now flowed with flawless synergy.
And in that very instant—
HUM——!!
From far beyond the starry river, the Aeon of Harmony, Xipe, cast Its gaze upon them.
The conflict between Order and Harmony—
It would be the one to bear witness.
--+--