The more Robert learned about the Celestials, the more he understood their horrifying practices. To Gorr, they were infinitely more detestable than any of the gods he had previously resented. Those gods might have been indifferent to the suffering of their followers, but at least they didn't systematically sacrifice entire planets to birth new members of their race.
In Gorr's mind, the Celestials were far more deserving of destruction. Were it not for his lack of strength, he would have already launched himself at the newly awakened Celestial to exact revenge.
"Ha! You self-righteous hypocrites!" Knull bellowed angrily, shaking with rage. "The Celestials always claimed to serve the greater good of the universe, but look at you now! You're worse than any so-called evil god or demon!"
For Knull, this was a rare opportunity to occupy the moral high ground. Long ago, the Celestials had tried to coerce him into service under the guise of universal duty, which had deeply disgusted him. Now that he had undeniable proof of their hypocrisy, he wasn't going to miss the chance to gloat—and to exact vengeance.
"Whoosh!"
Without waiting, Knull vanished from his spot and reappeared before the colossal Celestial. Despite his much smaller frame, Knull showed no hesitation. His body suddenly expanded, growing to match the Celestial's immense size.
"Boom!"
With a mighty punch, Knull sent the Celestial—and the planet still partially encasing it—flying through space. Mid-flight, the planet shattered into countless fragments, having been drained of all its energy by the Celestial's birth. The newborn Celestial now stood fully revealed, its armor beginning to take shape, slowly morphing from a stone-like texture to a more metallic and living form.
Robert observed the transformation with keen interest. "Is this some kind of racial ability? Maybe Tony and the others were studying the wrong approach when trying to replicate the Celestial armor tech..." he mused to himself.
He wasn't particularly annoyed by Knull taking the first move. A newly emerged Celestial wasn't exactly a challenging opponent for him, so this gave Robert a perfect chance to observe their capabilities in action.
But what happened next caught him off guard.
"Knull?!"
The Celestial's deep voice reverberated through space, bypassing the vacuum to resonate clearly in the minds of all present. Both Robert and Gorr heard it. Even Knull, stunned by the recognition, stopped mid-motion.
"You know who I am?" Knull asked warily, his eyes narrowing as he faced the towering figure.
"Of course," the Celestial replied, his tone both confident and ominous. "You caused us no end of trouble back then. I never thought I'd see you again."
"You're... from that batch of Celestials?" Knull's expression hardened.
"Indeed," the Celestial confirmed with a nod. "I can see you've grown stronger since our last encounter. But don't delude yourself—you're still no match for us. If you remain here, your fate will be even worse than it was back then.
"You escaped to the Void before, but now we have claimed dominion over that space. You'll find no sanctuary there anymore."
Knull's eyes widened, his pupils contracting in shock. Memories of that long-ago battle flooded his mind.
At the dawn of the universe, Knull had fled into the vast emptiness of the Void to escape the overwhelming numbers of the Celestials. At that time, the Void was vast and largely uncharted. Knull had used his knowledge of the ancient cosmos to evade capture, slipping away before the Celestials could corner him.
But now… were the Celestials truly in control of the Void?
"You can't be serious!" Knull growled, his voice laced with fear and disbelief.
He had been unaware of the Void's later developments. Had he known about Darkseid—who at only eight years old nearly defeated multiple pantheons of Earth's gods before battling the Celestials to a standstill—he might not have believed the Void to be the Celestials' territory at all.
Nevertheless, the Celestial's words triggered an instinctive desire to flee. Knull momentarily forgot Robert's warnings about the current state of the Celestials.
"Go ahead. Call your Celestial reinforcements. I'm curious to see what happens next," Robert suddenly interjected, appearing beside the giant Celestial with a faint smile.
"Y-you're the Saiyan!"
The Celestial staggered slightly, visibly unnerved by Robert's sudden presence. His voice betrayed a mixture of fear and astonishment.
"You know who I am?" Robert asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "It makes sense for you to recognize Knull, but me? I didn't expect that. Did the other Celestials leave you some sort of message about me?"
The Celestial's response was guarded. "Why are you here? Are you after me specifically? Or… are you looking for the rest of us?"
His voice trembled slightly with apprehension. If Robert had the ability to track down Celestial hiding spots, it could spell disaster for their entire race. The majority of the Celestials had already fled this universe. Even if they were still present, their numbers were unlikely to withstand Robert's power.
"I'm not just here for you," Robert replied with a smirk. "I'm hunting down the rest of your kind, too."
"Impossible! You couldn't possibly know where we are!" The Celestial's tone shifted, disbelief coloring his words.
"Then how do you think I found you?" Robert retorted. "And tell me—how exactly did you suddenly awaken from your slumber?"
The Celestial froze. He hadn't given it much thought before, but now that Robert mentioned it, he recalled a vivid moment of danger—an intense energy blast tearing through the planet's core, rousing him from his dormant state.
"You really can track us…?" he whispered hoarsely. "Are you planning to wipe us out completely?"
"What do you think?" Robert shrugged casually. "If your main forces hadn't run off, I wouldn't need to be so thorough. But since you're scattered, I'll have to pick you off one by one."
The Celestial took a deep breath. "We don't have to be enemies. From what I've heard, you had a fairly amicable relationship with the Exterminator."
"Don't even try that," Robert interrupted, his expression hardening. "Your entire race has been scheming against Earth from the beginning. You think you can just sweep all that under the rug?"
The Celestial hesitated, then offered an alternative. "We can negotiate. I can contact my kin—perhaps we can find a peaceful resolution to this."
"Or," Robert added with a devilish grin, "you could lead me to them yourself. Maybe escape to their universe... if you're brave enough."
His words hung in the air like a sinister temptation.
The Celestial's eyes narrowed in apprehension. Robert's offer was both a warning and a challenge, one that carried the weight of a difficult choice. Would he gamble on survival by seeking refuge with his people? Or would he try to broker peace while knowing the Saiyan's wrath loomed ever closer?
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