Avatar Challenge - (7)
After the cleanup from the terror incident on Gaiana Planet was finished and before the avatars departed the planet, I was having a private chat with one constellation to hear their thoughts on the purple tentacles.
Pat pat.
"So. The moment you touched those purple tentacles, you felt an ominous premonition?"
"Yes, my lord. It felt as if something plummeting from an impossibly high place was approaching... and that if it touched me, I could never return to how things were before..."
Owner of the Blue Breath. The blue azure dragon who's been eyeing a chance to become my pet.
"Th-that said... how long do you intend to keep fiddling with me, my lord?"
The dragon squirming and twisting to evade my touch. There's something addictive about stroking its back, like petting a hamster or a turtle, so my hand just keeps going. And that cute, flustered flinching on its embarrassed face.
Sometimes I get this urge to raise or nurture something. I was aware my tastes and perceptions had shifted quite a bit. To an ordinary human, its appearance would radiate overwhelming majesty, but to me, it was just like watching a small animal play around.
"Never mind such trivialities. The authority and insight you bestowed upon your avatar were quite impressive."
"I've cultivated for a millennium, after all. Even if I'm just a lowly one in the world of constellations... I too... Eek!"
Smooth. Scratch.
I moved the hand of my temporary body to gently scratch the azure dragon's chin. Come to think of it, dragons are reptiles, right? So do they eat bugs or fish? What should I feed it? And a millennium, huh. My previous life was definitely human, and a thousand years is an incredibly long time... but oddly, it felt like no big deal. She only cultivated for that little time? It came with a sense that she hadn't even reached Planet God status.
"...Since attaining divinity, I no longer require meals, my lord. But now, if you could please let go..."
"No."
"......"
I thoroughly patted the azure dragon's body as it pouted and bounced away. Its face was a mix of utter embarrassment and self-loathing, yet it couldn't resist. "...Eek. No matter that you are a Galaxy Spirit Body, to treat a divine being like this."
In the ruthless world of constellations, rank is everything. If I don't like you, go become at least a Shub first.
The [Constellation Brainwashing Incident] that occurred on Gaiana Planet spread widely even to the general public through the media that caught wind of the scoop.
The fact that I and the Owner of the Blue Breath had commanded our avatars to capture it. The revelation that monsters could become constellations, along with the details of the terror. And the decision to officially name such intelligence-hostile monster constellations as Alien Constellations.
The press conference where one of the Federation's 20 councilors appeared in person was the finishing touch. Unlike the hunchbacked councilor Alserian who'd come to see me last time, this was a woman in her 60s with narrow, slitted eyes.
"Silent Starlight, contracted with Leader Reinhardt Olim, has decreed: To counter the threat of Alien Constellations, in situations where they are attacked, the descent of constellations' divine bodies will now be permitted."
The press conference ended simply. But since it involved two Galaxy Spirit Bodies—including me—showing interest, the ripple effects grew even larger.
The Galaxy Spirit Body of this dimension, Silent Starlight, had finally partially allowed the use of constellations' power, which had been forbidden until now. This sent the Federation into an uproar.
It felt like the Outer God behind the Galaxy Spirit Bodies was cackling in amusement. Was the intent something like how insect turf wars are more entertaining than microbial skirmishes?
From now on, fewer constellations would operate via temporary bodies. Or they'd have to craft those temporary bodies with meticulous care to make them usable.
GalaxyTube was flooded daily with sensational shorts, and the internet raged with endless keyboard wars. With the revelation that monsters could become constellations, anxious people built shrines to constellations and even prayed.
Of course, weird devotees sprang up for me too.
"They want to erect a statue of you on Gaiana Planet and present a plaque of gratitude. How should we store it?"
A photo sent to Yuna's handheld terminal. A crude statue of my human-form body standing side-by-side with the Owner of the Blue Breath. What a pointless endeavor.
Tryna stem the drop in planetary morale and support by boosting constellation worship?
"Aren't temples for you, my lord, being built across the Federation? Perhaps select one to store it in..."
"Er... or could we send it to another dimension?"
[Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster says it's not needed.]
"And that's not all. Video messages and all sorts of gifts keep coming too."
I asked the avatars how other constellations handled such tributes. The immediate reply:
"Lesser gods below Single Planet Restricted Spirit Body level love accumulating faith. But for Galaxy Spirit Bodies, who knows."
"They say receiving faith feels all fuzzy and pleasant. Does it feel like that for you, my lord?"
I feel no such thing. I didn't even know temples or devotees existed for me in the first place.
Well, would a virus feel anything from human worship?
What matters is the plan to deal with the presumed Alien Constellations beyond the Federation.
[Constellation, Whispering Star Cluster inquires about the Federation's subjugation plans.]
"Subjugation? Oh. The military's dispatched major outer-space recon teams, but since we don't know the Alien Constellations' exact forces yet, no full war."
Targets that must eventually be subjugated. Presumed to exist beyond the Federation. They're just scouting since forces aren't clear.
Charging in with fleets without knowing their goals, bases, or strength would mean annihilation. Especially since there might be standout powerhouses among the Planet Spirit Bodies classified as Alien Constellations.
If Federation constellations lent their power, full war could be possible. But unless it's an overwhelming foe, they probably won't meddle much in mortals' affairs.
"If war with Alien Constellations broke out, over half the space fleet would mobilize, loaded with planet-busters..."
"Just thinking about it is horrifying..."
"I don't wanna see a whole planet blow up."
The avatars shuddered. That planet-buster weapon—I'd love to witness it in action once.
If the Federation goes to war with Alien Constellations, it'd be quite the spectacle. And if war destroys the spaces the avatars must protect, they might turn to me.
Who knows? They might want to cross into this dimension that I can protect. I could snag that cute azure dragon or other useful stuff.
"By the way, my lord. I feel like my abilities are evolving! If I summoned Kaiser now, it'd feel different somehow..."
"Me too, it's weird. Is this the evolution Vivian unnie mentioned? Oh yeah, she said she's getting discharged soon."
"How about a hospital visit?"
I closed my eyes, ignoring the whisper in the corner of my mind. Yeah. The way things are now looks best.
Not the rowdy mortal hordes, but the pinnacle of silence: outer space. My universe. Where I was born. My essence.
How far had the evolution of the lifeforms I'd created in this dimension progressed? I'd made them adapt to Cosmic Power from birth, and accelerated time locally in a fingernail-sized super-galaxy. I remembered that much.
I focused my 'viewpoint' on Shub-Niggurath's galaxy.
Tiny specks smaller than dust, wriggling things on a mote of a planet.
Lower the viewpoint. Lower. Even lower, until I could observe the small things from afar.
A planet similar to Earth but not quite. Vast oceans, atmosphere, days and nights from nearby stars.
Cosmic Power flowing across the entire planet... no, Shub's whole galaxy. A trivial amount compared to me, but could the lifeforms there endure it?
■■
Finally. The small lifeforms I desired were forming groups.
The most prominent ones were human-sized. They didn't die too quickly. Intelligent creations, not mindless.
Perhaps reflecting my memories, they resembled Homo sapiens sapiens. Eyes. Nose. Mouth. Two arms, two legs. Communicating while eating tree fruits.
But... could humanoid lifeforms have two hearts? They even used faint Cosmic Power.