Volume One, Chapter 26: Great Chaos

Torekia raised his hand slightly and, with a gentle flick, sent the incoming beam of light crashing back in the direction it came from. Bang! Instantly, the beam seemed to snap in half, reversing course and piercing straight through the body of the approaching Zarabian. The spectacle was so astonishing that the other Zarabians were left completely dumbfounded.

To shatter a stellar-level warrior’s energy blast with nothing but a finger—surely, only a cosmic-level master could accomplish such a feat!

A chorus of gulping sounds echoed simultaneously from the throats of the seven remaining Zarabians.

Torekia flexed his fingers, a cheerful smile on his face. “Why are you all still standing there? If you don’t hurry and inform your king, this planet… will soon be reduced to ashes.”

Destroy Zarab? What arrogance!

If anyone else had uttered such words, the seven Zarabians would have torn him to shreds on the spot. But now, those words came from one who had just effortlessly repelled a stellar-level attack with his bare hands.

“My lord, please have mercy! I’ll summon our king at once!” one Zarabian stammered, nodding rapidly before turning and flying toward Zarab.

The other six remained, trembling where they stood.

Throughout the universe, strength ruled above all. If you had power, anyone would bow before you.

But, that accursed Land of Light would surely intervene.

It wasn’t long before another Zarabian approached, floating solemnly through the void. He wore a regal cloak and a crown upon his head, his aura composed and mature.

At the sight of him, the six Zarabians immediately knelt in reverence. “Your Majesty!”

Cardos nodded slightly, his gaze first lingering on the fallen Zarabian, then turning to Torekia. “You arrive and immediately slay one of my great generals—isn’t that a bit excessive?”

For countless millennia, Zarab had always kept to itself—never vying for planets, never aiding others in their conquests. Their philosophy had been one of quiet, cautious growth, never instigating conflict.

But refusing to provoke trouble did not mean they would cower before it.

“Excessive?” Torekia feigned surprise, then extended a finger toward Zarab.

As everyone wondered what he intended, a deafening explosion erupted behind them.

Boom!

Cardos and the seven Zarabians froze, then slowly turned their heads in disbelief. Their once beautiful, harmonious home world was now splitting apart, consumed by flames.

Zarab was gone.

Cardos’s eyes turned blood-red, his aura surging violently, threatening to spiral out of control.

“You damned bastard!” he roared. “I’ll kill you!”

The seven Zarabians, their faces twisted with fury, flew at Torekia like madmen. But before they could close the distance, an invisible force struck them midair, sending blood gushing from their mouths as they were hurled into the burning sea below.

“Aaah—argh!” Cardos howled, spinning around, his eyes blazing as his energy flared to its utmost limit.

“Damn you!” he bellowed, crossing his arms and gathering power with reckless abandon.

At that instant, it was as if the very fabric of space froze; time itself ground to a halt. Cardos, the seven Zarabians, the raging inferno behind them—everything remained motionless, captured in a single, breathtaking tableau.

Except for Torekia, the architect of it all, who was wholly unaffected.

He drifted slowly to Cardos, locking eyes with the king. The [Corruption Rewrite] surged forth.

——

“Report!”

A breathless Ultra Warrior from the observation station burst into the headquarters of the Intergalactic Defense Force.

Every leader present furrowed their brow, turning to the messenger.

The Ultra Warrior stumbled in, nearly collapsing, and gasped out his report: “Trouble—just now, we observed Zarab destroyed by an unknown force!”

“What?!” Zoffy leapt to his feet, his face stricken with shock.

Zarab’s king was a cosmic-level force. The planet housed eight high-ranking stellar-class warriors, plus a host of lesser stellar and planetary-level defenders. Its overall might was nearly on par with the Land of Light itself.

Yet such a fortress of strength had been obliterated?!

“How reliable is this intelligence?” Seven asked, unable to believe it.

“It’s true!” The observer had barely caught his breath when Hikari’s voice rang out from the hall: “Zarab has vanished from the Eighth Star System.”

All eyes turned to the entrance, where Hikari approached.

“Who could be responsible?” pondered Eddie.

“To destroy Zarab, at minimum, one would need cosmic-level power,” Ace said, his brow furrowed. “And most likely, an ultimate life form.”

Every Ultra Warrior present knew: Cardos, the king of Zarab, had once served Reiblood. His strength rivaled the cosmic level. Even the Emperor of the Dark Galaxy, the Alien Emperor, dared not provoke him lightly.

Yet now, he and his world had been snuffed out without warning.

Hikari stepped forward, projecting an image from his device.

It showed Zarab, moments before annihilation.

The Ultras’ attention snapped to the display.

Soon, a figure cloaked in dark blue flames appeared on the projection.

At the sight of him, tension rippled through the group.

“What overwhelming pressure…”

“He’s the one who destroyed Zarab?”

“Hikari, why did you pause the feed?”

The image had frozen, as if caught on pause. But Hikari shook his head calmly. “I haven’t paused it. Keep watching.”

At his words, the Ultras returned their gaze to the projection.

After several minutes, the image moved again. Zarab split apart amid fire and was consumed by a terrible force, leaving not a trace behind.

The scene faded to a star field, as if Zarab had never existed.

A heavy silence settled over the Ultras.

Such power could only belong to a cosmic-level master—someone capable of erasing a planet as easily as breathing.

But who was this mysterious figure?

“Captain Zoffy, urgent news!”

Another Ultra Warrior hurried in.

“Calm down, speak slowly,” Zoffy instructed.

“Yes, sir.” The Ultra took a deep breath. “The Dark Galaxy… the Dark Galaxy has gone mad. They’re sowing chaos across the star systems!”

“What?!”

Every Ultra Warrior’s face turned grave.