The gaze cast by Xipe stirred countless souls and among them, the Galaxy Rangers felt it most vividly.
After all, in this very moment, each of them had briefly embraced the Path of Harmony.
Naturally, they too were bathed in Xipe's watchful eyes.
The others took it in stride, more or less.
But for Tiernan, his emotions were truly tangled.
He had been barred by the Family from ever returning to Penacony.
Yet today, he had somehow drawn the gaze of Xipe.
Truly, the twists of fate are beyond prediction.
It just goes to show—anything, no matter how chaotic, can happen in this universe.
If that bastard Mikhail ever found out, he'd probably laugh himself to death.
'Celenova' and Zulo naturally halted their battle as one, turning their attention toward Xipe.
'Celenova' didn't have much going through her mind.
After all, she was just a fake contestant—devoted neither to Destruction nor to Harmony.
But things were different for "Zulo."
He was furious, utterly and completely enraged.
He felt insulted.
Since his very inception, his purpose had been to destroy the Path of Harmony.
And yet—
Now, Xipe of the Harmony was casting her gaze upon an internal conflict within the Path of Destruction.
Acting like some lofty spectator, here to witness this battle.
It thoroughly ignited the prideful fury burning deep within the heart of Zulo.
Have you ever shown an ounce of respect for me, a destroyer of your own Path, that you now come to spectate!?
And then…
He unleashed his rage upon 'Celenova.'
Golden flames surged with the force to incinerate the cosmos, rushing toward 'Celenova' with overwhelming menace.
She felt the anger emanating from Zulo.
But she couldn't hold back a curse.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
Pure, unadulterated rage.
No wonder Nanook tossed you onto the scales so easily.
If you threw a punch at Xipe up there, they might've actually respected you for it.
This guy…
'Celenova' let out a cold, exasperated laugh.
The long blade in her hand collapsed inward once more, then she hurled it violently toward Zulo!
BOOM——!!!
A newly formed black hole erupted with terrifying destructive force.
Zulo charged straight into it, golden flames morphing into a roaring, grinding wheel, attempting to tear the black hole apart.
Having swiftly retreated from that star sector infested with the Swarm, La Mancha watched as the black hole burned with raging golden flames. He knew—It was time for the Galaxy Rangers to take the stage.
"Brothers!!"
In their harmonized state, La Mancha didn't need to say much.
His call was answered by all.
The Galaxy Rangers quickly understood their task, pulling back together toward more distant positions.
Only a small squad originally stationed there—now elevated into the collective—and Celenova remained, waiting for Zulo's arrival.
"Lady Celenova, when Zulo attacks later…"
"No need to explain. I understand—focus on attuning to the power of Harmony."
Celenova cut the squad off, urging them to quickly attune themselves.
Otherwise, when Zulo struck and triggered the Swarm, she'd have to split her focus to protect them.
Soon enough—
A handcrafted black hole could hardly pose a serious threat to an Emanator.
Breaking free from gravitational pull, Zulo's form swelled once more, reaching a size almost comparable to a planet.
That terrifying figure, wreathed in howling golden flames, was like a sun of pure annihilation!
BOOM——!!!
Zulo's iron fist slammed down toward Celenova.
But in that very instant—
A certain device was triggered.
A high-frequency wave began to broadcast throughout the star sector.
Screech— Screech—
The chittering of the Swarm began to spread through the void.
Celenova had no intention of sticking around.
She swept up the squad and pulled back.
And only then did Zulo's fist finally land!
BOOM——!!!!
THUD——!!!!
That punch shattered some distorted pocket of space.
Dense clusters of the Swarm were revealed throughout the empty star sector.
Countless bugs were swallowed by the destructive fist.
Amidst the Swarm's furious, mournful cries, several barren drifting planets also began to stir.
Those were no planets—they were clearly giant insects, large enough to devour worlds!
Watching those planet-sized bugs begin to awaken, Celenova broke out in a cold sweat.
These Galaxy Rangers… their guts are something else!
To dare use a Swarm of this scale against Zulo…
Aren't you afraid of being devoured before you even take him on?
But fortunately, thanks to that punch from Zulo, the Antimatter Legion had drawn the full hatred of the Swarm.
Only about a tenth of the Swarm broke off to charge toward the Galaxy Rangers.
Celenova didn't unleash her full power, only intercepting the Swarm leaders that came at them.
The rest of the bugs were left to the Galaxy Rangers.
Against one-tenth of the Swarm, given the Galaxy Rangers' current state, wiping them out would've been easy.
But they didn't.
Because if they wiped them out too quickly, more waves would come—easing the pressure on their real enemy.
So, in their united state, the Galaxy Rangers forcibly split the Swarm forces, maintaining a strange stalemate, slowly grinding down those disgusting bugs.
Compared to Celenova's situation, Zulo was far more agitated.
He'd known the Galaxy Rangers had a plan, but Celenova's appearance had led him to believe she was the plan.
He never expected that, aside from that infuriating Celenova, there'd also be a Swarm waiting for him.
The feeling of being toyed with drove Zulo into a humiliated rage.
He wanted to tear through the Swarm's encirclement and continue his pursuit of Celenova.
But those colossal bugs kept tangling with him, preventing his escape.
So, in a fit of rage, Zulo unleashed his full power.
Unrestrained golden flames spread to every single Void Ranger in the Legion.
The terrifying fire became a meat grinder—in an instant, countless Swarm organisms were reduced to ash under the flames of Destruction.
However, this didn't make the Swarm retreat.
On the contrary, it only angered them further, to the point that a good portion of the bugs engaging the Galaxy Rangers broke off, flying toward Zulo instead.
This let Celenova and the Galaxy Rangers enjoy the show all the more.
La Mancha now strode forward on a stream of light, arriving at Celenova's side.
Though compared to her current immense size, he looked like an ant perched on a human's shoulder.
"So, what do you think? Not bad, my plan."
La Mancha's voice reached Celenova's ears.
She nodded.
"Bold. Any sane person detecting a Swarm of this size would only think to run. But you actually dared to wake them. Calling you audacious is an understatement."
"Hahahaha~ What can I say? To defeat the strong when you're weak, you have to use every tool at your disposal, exhaust every possible method. Right?"
"Even if it means many will die?"
"I'll be the first to charge."
Hearing La Mancha's words, Celenova smiled.
"This battle will be a great victory."
At that, La Mancha simply shrugged, while the countless Galaxy Rangers behind him roared in unison, as if with one voice:
"This battle—will be a great victory!"
--+--