Neos watched helplessly as the fortress shattered the Living Tribunal's body through the purest form of violence.
It was more than mere defeat—it was like a brutal trampling of the rules of the universe itself.
What truly sent a chill through his heart was the aura emanating from the fortress after it had accomplished all this: an almost crazed sense of "not yet satisfied."
The dark red light at its core had not dimmed. Instead, it pulsed faster, more urgently... more hungrily.
As if destroying one of the universe's supreme overseers had been nothing more than an appetizer.
Sure enough, the massive cannon barrels on the fortress's surface shifted slightly in the next instant, locking onto the distant void where Asgard's divine realm had once stood.
A relatively slender yet still deadly crimson beam shot forth without a sound, crossing the vast distance and striking the heart of that region with precision.
Everything in the beam's path—matter, energy, space, even the lingering traces of laws—vanished completely, leaving behind only absolute "nothingness."
Neos's pupils contracted.
This senseless act of extermination, done solely to clear the field or vent its rage, filled him with extreme displeasure.
"Stop!"
His furious shout, carrying the resonance of divine power and psionic energy, exploded through the shattered void.
He transformed into a streak of golden light and rushed directly in front of the towering fortress.
Compared to the colossal star fortress, his figure was as tiny as dust.
Yet he still raised his head and projected his voice and will with all his strength toward that pulsing core:
"I am Neos, elder of the Imperium! In the name of the Imperium, I request that you cease this meaningless destruction!"
He drew a deep breath and asked the most crucial question:
"Who exactly are you? What is