Karlstein, watching Maksien’s figure with wide-open eyes on the screen, offered a few words of comfort.

It seemed like the battle wasn’t going her way, and she was truly frustrated.

"Good job, Maksien."

Maksien bit her lip at his words of encouragement. He understood her feelings.

After all, she wasn’t someone who would struggle with a Triple Numbering.

Even if the enemy was a creature specialized in high-speed movement, it was still a 200-level monster. Maksien’s inability to close the distance seemed impossible when you considered her reputation as the **Sword Saint of the Cosmos**.

However, this couldn’t be helped.

This was a constraint Karlstein had placed on her.

Her species, the **Asterians**, began to resemble stars the more power they exerted beyond certain limits.

They grew ruthless and emotionless, eventually losing the will to live.

A mental death.

It wasn’t just the war that led to Maksien losing her Asterian kin and surviving alone.

The Asterians had been rapidly heading toward extinction. From the moment they left their planets and ventured into space, their fate had been sealed.

He had saved her, taken her in, but...

\- "If I follow you, will I remain human?"

\- "Yes, if you want."

\- "When I become a star, will you plant flowers for me?"

\- "I will, if that’s what you want."

\- "I’m counting on you."

The promise made when they first met.

He didn’t fully understand what it meant, but for an Asterian, the act of planting flowers could never be a trivial one.

To keep that promise, he knew he had to restrict her power somewhat.

Back when he first met her, Karlstein had been too preoccupied with his own survival to be sure whether he could keep such a promise. He had been in a situation where he had to appeal to her, to utilize her potential, no matter the cost.

But he had done everything he could to avoid that.

Karlstein believed that her potential could bloom without tapping into the power of her species, and he still believed that now.

As a result, only her eyes and hair glowed with starlight. It was a product of his efforts.

Because of this, Karlstein encouraged her obsession with hunting monsters. The more she hunted them, the closer she came to a state of madness, which, from a future perspective, was the right path.

Even now, the same applied.

‘Though, sometimes it’s a little scary.’

His feelings for her hadn’t changed.

Of course, it wasn’t that she had never unlocked her potential.

‘It’s my job to make sure that doesn’t happen again.’

Maksien had mostly kept her promises to him.

That was why he felt a sense of pride.

Even with the limits placed on her, she was immensely strong. That couldn’t be denied. However, her strength was mostly effective only in close combat.

Still, that alone was enough to place her among the highest-ranking heroes in the Galactic Empire.

There were three great heroes recognized by the Galactic Empire.

Heroes that no one could ignore.

The pride of the Galactic Empire.

Maksien Asterian, specializing in close combat and dueling.

Camilla Basherette, specializing in sniping and fleet battles.

And finally...

"Who am I?"

\- "...Karlstein Babylon."

"Exactly."

*Clank* *Clank*

The heavy friction sounds emanated from the full-body armor he was wearing.

*Crunch* *Crunch*

The armor screamed in protest as it tried to endure the power emanating from him.

"Camilla is busy... I shouldn’t bother her right now."

\- "..."

Some 80,000 kilometers away from the battlefield where Maksien fought, on a small asteroid, Karlstein stood.

Two long metal rods were embedded deep into the surface of the asteroid.

The rods, 30 centimeters thick and 1 kilometer long, were deeply lodged into the ground near Karlstein.

Called the “Spear of God,” these metal rods emitted a red etheric wave.

"Whoo!"

\- "Anti-gravity control, aiming assistance, ether wave adjustment..."

Karlstein’s groans mixed with Aria’s voice.

As he gripped the metal rod’s handle and pulled it free, the ground cracked and vibrated violently.

But Karlstein remained steady, as if standing on flat ground. Aria’s anti-gravity control kept the ground beneath him stable.

"It’s been a while since I’ve done this," Karlstein said as he widened his stance.

*Whoo.*

The armor continuously emitted etheric waves.

Karlstein Babylon.

A tank, and also,

A long-range artillery specialist.

He moved. After taking a running start, he hurled the spear.

Whooooosh—

The spear flew from his hand, leaving behind a spiral wave as it rocketed toward its target.

As Karlstein’s "Thrown Spear" cut through space, the asteroid he stood on shook and shattered in the aftermath.

*Whooooosh-*

*Beep-*

Moments later, the flash of destruction struck the heart of No.221 **Blue Ray**.

\- "Direct hit. Situation resolved."

Aria’s calm voice signaled the creature’s death.

---

**Imperial Battleship Bridge.**

Everyone in the command center, as if in perfect unison, silently stared at the screen.

"..."

"..."

*Beep-*

\- [Target hit.]

\- [Biological extinction confirmed.]

The captain and vice-captain, who had their hands clasped in front of them, exhaled in relief as green text appeared on the screen. The crew on the lower levels shared the same sense of relief.

"As expected..."

"Indeed."

"Every time, it’s hard to believe."

The crew aboard the Imperial battleship were the elite of the Galactic Empire. They were veterans with overflowing battle experience and were among the best of the best.

Even so, they never grew accustomed to the sight of a Triple Numbering creature being obliterated in a single shot.

After all, **Numbering** creatures, the monsters among monsters, were as catastrophic as disasters.

Thinking back to when a single four-digit creature had wiped out entire star systems, the sight they were witnessing now seemed unreal.

"Truly amazing."

The captain, who had been in charge of the Imperial battleship for years, reacted the most intensely. Having the most experience on the battlefield, he knew just how miraculous this scene was.

Watching His Majesty’s battles only deepened his awe.

It was truly beautiful.

The red streaks of light pierced through space, striking the monster’s heart—this sight always ignited a fire within him.

Having lost his family to monsters in the past, he didn’t hesitate to board the battleship even in his old age, just to witness this.

The nightmare of past battles. In those dark times, the Emperor’s presence had been a symbol of inevitable victory.

His Majesty had sparked the flames of hope in the hearts of all the Empire’s people.

The captain’s heart swelled.

How much longer would he be able to follow His Majesty’s lead?

Now, growing older with his faculties dimming, he sighed, realizing he might no longer be able to board the ship.

‘Your Majesty...’

The elderly captain thought back to the most intense battlefield of his past.

The "Rufir Sector Assault," a catastrophic final battlefield.

He would never forget the moment when the Emperor had proposed the impossible "Single Number Extermination Operation."

Everyone had tried to stop him, warning that it was madness.

Saying that humans could never defeat a god.

That the Emperor should be kept safe.

But His Majesty had firmly responded.

"At this hour, humanity will reclaim the barrier."

A great operation that ended the grand war, and His Majesty’s brilliant achievement.

The vacant position of No.6 now stood as proof of that.

Who could dare challenge a **Single Number**?

In the most intense battle, where 90% of the heroes had perished, the great hero had secured humanity’s victory.

Ah.

A light so bright it could never be looked at directly.

The captain truly wished that these moments would last forever.

---

At the moment the spear struck No.221 **Blue Ray**’s heart, not far from the battlefield, a being on an asteroid opened its eyes.

*Chirrrk* *Chirrrk*

The creature, hiding behind the asteroid, slowly opened its compound eyes, emitting a dark wave.

It quickly grasped the situation from the death of **Blue Ray**.

*Chirrrk* *Chirrrk*

The being pondered.

Should it remain hidden, as it had been until now?

*Chirrk*

No, perhaps it was time to stop the ongoing work and step out personally.

*Chirrrk* *Chirrrk*

After much contemplation, the being made a decision.

It abandoned its ongoing task.

*Scrrash* *Scrash*

The dark energy enveloping its body began to dissipate.

The death of a low-level entity like **Blue Ray** was nothing to it.

However, it was far too soon for the "Essence" to be revealed to them.

The passage was sealed.

A dark wave emanated from its entire body, and in an instant, the asteroid disintegrated.

*Boom-*

A being of unimaginable speed, far surpassing **Blue Ray**, appeared on the battlefield in the blink of an eye.

The compound-eyed being emerged, gleaming with dark light, appearing before the three figures who stood dumbfounded.

Everything was according to the will of its Father.

*Schhhrkk*

\- [Gaaah!]

\- [Screeech!]