Thanatos (Neo's Clone) POV

Thanatos moved through the dark void of space at incredible speed.

The ship he was piloting cut across the stars like a streak of silver light.

Every few minutes, he stopped near a planet, and absorbed it into his Cosmos.

Each planet disappeared in silence, swallowed whole.

"I need to hurry," he muttered, his eyes fixed on the holographic map of Illyana's kingdom.

There were millions of habitable worlds scattered throughout her domain.

Even with the ship's speed, he would need a month to gather them all.

But according to Illyana's last message, the Alliance would attack today or tomorrow.

That didn't give him time.

If the battle started now, he wouldn't even save a tenth of her worlds.

"I need to hurry," he said again, gripping the control handles tighter.

For a brief second, a thought crossed his mind.

Maybe he should release Zeus.

If Zeus helped, their chances of winning would rise.

But the thought died almost as soon as it came.

'No. Zeus would try to kill me before helping.'

Zeus had killed his friends in the past because of his mission.

That mission's goal — the Devil of Cruelty — was either Neo or Amelia.

Zeus would make sure to kill them before even thinking of helping the Forgotten Suns.

Even if Zeus agreed to fight the Alliance, it would take three days for him and the main body—Neo—to reach this region.

By then, everything would already be gone.

Thanatos leaned back in his seat and exhaled.

"No point thinking about it."

He focused on his task again.

Planet after planet disappeared into his Cosmos, each one becoming part of the growing sanctuary inside him.

'I already saved Earth,' he thought. 'Now, the only allies left are Jack, Illyana, and her worlds.'

Suddenly, his expression changed.

He stopped the ship and looked toward a distant region of space.

A strange pressure filled the air.

"One… two…" he counted quietly. "Over thirty presences. All Stage 6."

His stomach tightened.

"Alliance finally arrived."

He turned the ship around and flew back toward Illyana's fleet.

The closer he got, the clearer the scale of the battlefield became.

Illyana's fleet stretched across the stars.

The massive ships and floating fortresses glowed like small suns. Energy beams and magical cannons lined their sides, ready for battle.

And floating at the very front of them all was Illyana herself.

Her long hair flowed behind her, and her green armor gleamed faintly even without light.

Jack stood behind her, along with her kingdom's strongest warriors.

But even among them, only Illyana was Stage Six.

The highest amongst them was Grade 3 Stage 5. Strong, but nowhere near enough for what was coming.

On the opposite side, the Alliance didn't bring a fleet.

There were no ships, no armies, just thirty-two Stage 6 Gods standing in formation.

Thanatos gritted his teeth.

The outcome was already obvious, but he refused to accept it.

'I've defeated Zeus.'

'He was at the peak of Stage 6.'

'None of them here is stronger than Zeus. I can win.'

But something about this situation felt wrong.

'Thirty-two Stage 6 Gods, and no army? Why would they attack with just this?'

If they wanted to crush Illyana's kingdom, they could have done so with fewer people and an entire armada.

Sending this many top-level beings made no sense.

'They have some sort of goal,' Thanatos thought. 'But what is it?'

He landed the ship near the main command ship and teleported out.

In an instant, he appeared beside Illyana.

She glanced at him, her eyes calm even as the space around them trembled from the power of the approaching Gods.

'Thanatos,' her voice echoed in his head through telepathy, 'you should go to our Leader. There's no reason for you to waste your strength here.'

Thanatos frowned.

'Why are you telling me to leave? Are you giving up?' he asked.

For a moment, she didn't respond.

Then another voice entered his mind, hers again, but firmer.

'No. We're not giving up. We can still win, even without you.'

He stared at her, stunned.

Her voice carried through the vacuum as she raised her hand.

"Everyone," she called out, "listen to me."

The transmission carried across every ship in the fleet.

Soldiers, mages, and spirits. All turned toward her.

Her tone wasn't cold or commanding. It was warm, and steady.

"The Alliance is coming with thirty-two Gods. I know what you all must be thinking. You're afraid. So am I."

A pause.

"But we are not here because someone forced us. Every single one of you came because you wanted to. Those who didn't wish to fight are already safe inside the Heavenbreaker's Cosmos. No one will call them cowards. They chose to live."

Her eyes hardened.

"But those who stayed chose something else. You chose to protect your people. Your homes. The stars that carry your names. That is not something small."

Her voice grew louder, resonating through the ships.

"Even if we fall, history will remember this day. The Alliance will remember that people Drasthel Kingdom didn't run. We stood against thirty-two Stage 6 Gods, and we made them bleed."

A wave of energy pulsed through the fleet.

Soldiers straightened their backs.

The fear didn't vanish, but it no longer ruled them.

Thanatos looked at her for a long moment.

He had seen leaders before—kings, generals, even gods—but Illyana's calm fire was different.

Her words didn't try to erase fear.

They accepted it and moved past it.

She lowered her hand and looked at Jack for a moment.

'Leave,' she told him.

'Why would I leave? I am going to have a feast here,' he said with a grin.

Before she could be firmer with Jack, the space tore apart.

Thirty-two beams of divine light descended, surrounding them.

The battle had begun.

"Attack!" Illyana shouted.

The entire fleet responded at once. Magic cannons fired. Light spears shot across the void. The shockwaves made space itself tremble.

But the Gods of Alliance didn't even flinch.

They raised their hands together, and a bright aura covered them.

The World — Resonance

"They're using their Complete Worlds already?" Thanatos's eyes hardened.

In an instant, his surroundings changed.

The stars vanished. The ships disappeared. Even Illyana's voice faded.

When his vision cleared, he was standing on floating landmasses connected by chains.

Dozens of islands drifted through the sky, and above them were three suns glowing in different colors, red, blue, and white.

He felt heavy.

The pressure of resonating Worlds made the air hard to breathe.

'My abilities are sealed.'

'Did each God who attacked had a World that could suppress some sort of technique or strength?'

'It's like… they are targeting me.'

'But how did they know I was here?'

When he looked around, he only saw eighteen of the Gods.

'They split us up,' he realized.

The eighteen Stage Six 6 hovered in the sky, looking down at him.

Each one had a distinct aura, but their power blended into one suffocating storm.

At the center of them was their leader: a tall man with short gray hair, violet skin, six eyes and a black cloak.

His armor shimmered faintly with lines of golden light, and in his hand was a spear that pulsed with divine energy.

"Remember the plan," the man said, his voice echoing across the floating islands. "Do not let him devour anyone. The moment he does, it will be the end for all of us."

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