As Neos ascended to the supreme godhood, the gods who had escaped destruction by sheer luck and had been watching from afar in trembling fear now scarcely dared to breathe.
Run? That thought had long since been crushed beneath boundless terror.
Before a newly born supreme being, before that unfathomable figure who had effortlessly quelled a galactic crisis and blocked the might of a supreme god, any attempt to flee would be no different from seeking death. It was utterly meaningless.
They clearly understood that the other party had not casually erased them earlier not because he could not, but simply because they were not targets worth dealing with—or because they had not yet crossed his bottom line.
Now, the moment of judgment might be about to arrive.
They abandoned their futile struggles, withdrew all divine might and hostility, and hovered in the void like prisoners awaiting their final sentence. Heads lowered, they silently awaited their fate in the humblest posture possible.
Amid that grim, oppressive silence, space rippled with a peculiar disturbance.
Several Watchers led by Ikul and Uatu tore through space and appeared in this starfield.
The moment they appeared, their powerful observational instincts allowed them to instantly "read" the lingering traces of information at the scene, as well as the various trembling beings hovering nearby.
Without needing anyone to explain, they could roughly guess what had happened.
Ikul took a deep breath and led his people toward Neos.
While still some distance away from Neos, they stopped and bowed to this newly ascended supreme being with the most solemn etiquette of the Watchers.
"Great Lord Neos," Ikul said, his voice steady and respectful as it echoed through the silent starry sky. "The Watchers have come to pay homage in accordance with your will. We are willing to