Chapter 535: Intergalactic Hegemon
Prime World Gozon.
A First-Generation Prime World of the Orithyia Galaxy.
First-Generation Worlds were worlds created together with the formation of the Galaxy and were just as old as it.
They differed in size, but the commonality was that they had high masses which in turn meant stronger gravity (though this could be regulated by the World’s Consciousness), high ambient energy concentration and were home to the strongest beings of the Universe.
Prime Worlds and the like existed specifically to accommodate these powerful beings so they didn’t go snooping around lower worlds that they could destroy just by kicking the ground ’too hard’.
Another First-Generation Prime World was Aidos, an Intergalactic Hegemon on the same level as Gozon; Beatrix’s Home world and the world Evan really came from in the future.
Why did the Gozonians dare to spread themselves out across vast distances without much fear of having their rule usurped by people from other planets?
It was simple, they had the population for it.
Gozon was a massive planet orbiting a Yellow Giant Star and was a giant in its own right with 180+ Billion Km2 in surface area. Putting it into perspective, some of Gozon’s moons were bigger than Planet Aramis, even though Aramis was also a Prime World.
It had over 250 celestial bodies that could be called ’moons’, but only 32 were close enough to light up its night skies, and not all of these 32 could be seen at once due to the planet’s size.
Gozon’s gravity was strong enough to make planet-sized bodies orbit it. As stated earlier, some of its moons were bigger than Aramis, and these ’moons’ would have become planets of their own if they hadn’t formed too close to Gozon.
Sadly, they did, and they were pulled in by its strong gravity and became its moons. Well, if you could call them that considering they had their own atmospheres and all.
"That’s far too many moons..."
"Tell me about it. This is the first planet I’ve seen with this many moons."
Arthur responded to Evan’s statement as they looked at the hologram projection of Gozon before them, having gotten tired of counting the moons surrounding it. He continued his words with a statement that made Evan freeze in his tracks.
"Can’t say the same about stars, though."
"...what do you mean by that?"
When Evan asked, Arthur raised a brow in question and asked.
"Never seen a Star system with multiple stars before?"
"How many are we talking here?"
"3."
Arthur was talking about his home Tri-Star system, Dorcaster, which had 3 stars in its centre. These 3 stars orbited each other, and their combined gravity made Aeturn, Kriez and many others orbit it.
This was the first time Evan had heard about a Star System with more than one star. His home world’s system (Aidos) was normal, with one star and one (planet-sized) moon. Aidos’s moon was around one-fifth of the planet’s size, at around 980 million km² in surface area.
Returning to Gozon in front of him, Evan was genuinely scared of the kind of gravity he’d have to deal with on it, but according to Alvey and McEnda, it wasn’t going to be as bad as he expected since Prime World consciousnesses could regulate their gravity.
As they walked down the transparent moon hallway, Arthur noticed that the gravity they felt increased every 10 to 15 metres or so, and when he voiced that observation, Alvey explained why.
It was for those who had been off-world for too long to get their bodies used to Gozon’s gravity gradually, so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed when they got to the surface.
"Oh, so that’s why my body was feeling heavier a bit."
When Evan said this, McEnda nodded and spoke.
"Most people usually don’t realise what’s going on until they get towards the end. But considering your energy sensitivity is high, it’s only natural you did."
"Huh? My energy sensitivity is as high as the average person’s, though?"
""""...""""
Evan’s words earned him deadpan stares from everyone present, even Arthur who did ridiculous things on a daily basis.
Clearly, they didn’t believe him at all. Evan, however, didn’t seem to agree with them, so Arthur conducted a little experiment.
He turned to Evan and then flicked his right index and thumb fingers and automatically, Evan’s pupils darted upwards.
"Right there. The amount of energy I flicked up was as much as half a millilitre of water. The kind you wouldn’t even notice if it’s on your skin, but you reacted just now."
"I see your point now..."
"Good."
Arthur nodded as he saw Evan had understood just how high his energy sensitivity was, before turning around and continuing down the hallway.
For him, this gradual gravity increase had no point since his comprehensions in the law of gravity made him automatically attuned to the gravity of whatever celestial body he found himself on.
Alvey and McEnda were the same. McEnda’s Gravity Law comprehensions were over 30% and Alvey’s was just 10% since he only learnt the basics for the sake of interstellar travel.
The talk about gravity reminded Arthur of when he and McEnda tried to calculate how to make a planet square, and just as he was about to bring it up again, they reached a checkpoint.
They went through some security clearance, then entered a teleportation waypoint, before continuing down to another checkpoint, and right after they passed the second checkpoint, McEnda noticed something outside.
"That ship...it’s from Aidos, isn’t it?"
When he said this, all eyes turned in the direction he pointed and there they saw a giant spaceship docked on the Moon they were on with an Insignia the Demons found familiar.
Aidos’ Council of Kings; the planet’s ruling body, just like Gozon’s 72 Demon Kings.
"They’re a top dog like you guys, right?"
"Yeah.
They’re the main reason why this galaxy hasn’t changed names from ’Orithyia’ to ’Gozon’."
McEnda made such a statement casually, revealing just how powerful Gozon’s Interstellar rule was, and how immensely powerful Aidos was to match them.
From Gozon’s size, they had the numbers to spread their people across so many worlds, making sure that Gozonians were always on top in any colony of theirs. They had quantity.
From the strength of Alvey, McEnda and the other High-Rank Demons Arthur had seen, they had quality as well.
So, how could Aidos match them?
"They have more quality than us."
"Are you for real?"
Evan asked this on reflex when Alvey spoke and the Demon nodded. McEnda chuckled lightly when he saw a demon who passed by frown lightly at Alvey’s words and spoke.
"Many wouldn’t want to admit it, but it’s the truth. Aidos has us beat in the quality department.
That planet churns out nonstandard existences faster than a printing press churns out the daily paper."
He pointed at one of the moons they could see and continued.
"You see what we did with our moons? Turning them all into Outposts. Aidos doesn’t have our size and this many moons, so they turned all the other planets in their Solar System into Outposts.
Take note, Aidos may be the only Prime World in its system, but every other world there is at least a high-level one. They have complete control over every single celestial body in that system."
The security protocols they were going through to enter Gozon, Aidos had theirs covering the entire system.
"That’s...wild."
Evan didn’t know what to say about this; after all, the Aidos he knew was not the Hegemon McEnda was describing to him.
"Aidos has a ’Council of Kings’, you called them?"
The Rogue Hero posed this question to McEnda and the man looked at him with a raised brow for a moment before answering.
"Yeah. I’m a bit surprised you don’t know them.
Anyway, demons make up over 70% of Gozon’s population, so we dominate everything. On Aidos, it’s more of an equal split between the races so they have a Council with equal members of every race in it.
Except for the Spirits though..."
"Why are the Spirits an exception?"
Arthur asked this and Evan chuckled a gave a reply.
"It’s the ’Spirit Empress’, right?"
The Spirit Empress, Kaylatheurge. She was one of the Five ’Race Emperors’ of the Valmone Universe, a Monarch Realm Existence who dominated an untold number of planets and realms.
Evan said she was responsible for the Spirit race having a different number of Kings in the Aidosian Council and McEnda nodded in affirmation.
"No one knows why, but it’s said that some few hundred thousand years ago, she killed all the Spirit Kings except one of them. Spirit King Sinclair.
It was around that time she became the ’Spirit Empress’ so people say she stole the powers of those Spirit Kings, but no one knows the real reason besides the Spirits. I personally think it was an internal Aidosian conflict."
McEnda’s words shocked Arthur as he didn’t think that the reason was that the Spirit Empress wiped out her own Race’s Kings.
"Empress Kaylatheurge has a lot of strange things about her, but even this was too strange. It’s been hundreds of millennia and the Spirits have barely recovered from the loss.
Among the Spirit Kings she killed were the other ’Great Spirits’ of Aidos, so she was the only ’Great Spirit’ for over a century after that."
In the part of the Cosmos Arthur came from, Great Spirits were the third highest Spirit Rank, and that held true to a certain extent in Valmone as well.
Empress>King>=Great Spirit>High>Mid>Low.
Since the ’Race King/Queen’ Ruler System was what Valmone used, Great Spirits could also be Kings as well.
"I know someone who’s close to a Great Spirit. I miss her a bit...maybe I should make a quick stop home?"
When Arthur casually spoke about changing Universes, Celestia manifested her body and whacked him with her hilt.
[Don’t do that!]
Arthur just laughed and grabbed the blade while replying.
"I know. I wouldn’t leave here till November. I also wouldn’t waste the energy since I have to go to Draco Sirus."
"Draco Sirus? What’s that? Sounds like a Sports drink."
Evan questioned Arthur and the boy shook his head in reply as he unsummoned Celestia.
"It’s a Dragon Ruled Universe. You’d find a lot of your comrades there."
Arthur slung an arm over Evan’s shoulder as he said this, but Evan just snorted a response.
"Sounds like the kind of place where I’d see Stuck-up dragons who think anyone who isn’t 100% dragon is inferior to them."
He sounded like he had dealt with elitists like that before, which was both true and untrue at the same time.
"True, those kinds of people exist everywhere."
Arthur replied this, remembering that there were some Purebloods in the Hell Universe who looked down on Mixed Blood Devils. He hadn’t personally encountered any since they made sure to steer clear of him due to his mum who was of Mixed Blood.
They steered clear not because they despised her, but because they were scared of being destroyed on a subatomic level.
With such thoughts in his mind, they reached the last checkpoint and there they encountered a Low-Tier Deity serving as a guard.
The Demon glanced at Alvey, McEnda and Sigesi, recognizing them all. But Arthur and Evan were unfamiliar faces to him.
[Who?]
"Special Guests of Demon Kings Westley and McEnda II."
[?!]
Hearing Alvey’s words, the Demon’s eyes widened in surprise. It was one thing if it was just one Demon King, but the two ’Supreme’ Demon Kings of this Generation were the ones expecting them.
It made him curious about just who Arthur and Evan were, but he didn’t ask too many questions after Alvey showed him the official invitations and permits.
He activated the Dimensional Gate which was to send them to the landing base on Gozon, and it shimmered before erupting into a brilliant beam of light that engulfed the five of them entirely.
In an instant, they were launched straight down towards Gozon, as one of many beams slicing through space like a spear, carrying them at an incomprehensible speed.
The descent was swift and before a full word could even escape Arthur’s lips, they had arrived on the planet’s surface.
