The great Tartaro evacuation was a long-prepared plan.
Anyone who saw those continuous, alarming notifications popping up on their phones couldn't help but panic.
Thus, the inhabitants of Tartaro had long prepared their ships.
But because the IPC hadn't given the signal, none dared to depart.
The IPC guarded this planet. Without their order, who would risk plunging headlong into space infested with swarms?
And within the IPC, Jobs had personally shouldered all the pressure himself.
He had practically taken over the IPC's entire branch here—a development even Sora hadn't foreseen.
Who would've imagined Jobs directly coming up to Sora and bluntly saying: "With a single word from you, we can leave this planet immediately."
Indeed, the reason Jobs had suppressed all dissent and held the planet's population steady was precisely to wait for Sora's command.
At this point, Sora was probably the strongest combat force on the entire planet. Whether it was him alone, or the two hundred-odd people under his command, capturing the planet would be easy.
Thus, Jobs understood clearly that safely evacuating depended entirely on Sora's decisive power.
His vision was clear. Thus, he suppressed every opposing voice and simply awaited Sora's instructions.
"Of course, we've already summarized a route for departure." Jobs waved, and a scholar from the Intelligentsia Guild approached with a starship navigation chart.
After carefully considering the known positions of the Swarm Kings, the scholars had calculated this particular route.
"This path minimizes the danger. Our only real concern is the area around the 114 light-year mark," the scholar explained to Sora. "At that point, our route intersects slightly with two threats: one, the entity that shattered a planet, and two, the swarm congregating nearby."
They deliberately chose a route avoiding the main swarm, yet inevitably crossed paths briefly with these two dangers.
However, this route was their best option, since near its border lay an IPC outpost.
Upon reaching that outpost, they could request additional support.
Each ship itself was armed sufficiently to withstand minor swarm incursions. Proceeding carefully, passing through that region was highly achievable.
"But what if we could move faster?" Sora suddenly presented an alternative. "If we directly skip across this area, wouldn't that reduce the danger to almost zero?"
"In theory, yes, but…" The scholar hesitated briefly. "Not every ship is as fast as your vessel, Mr. Sora."
If everyone had his speed, why would they worry about choosing routes at all?
"I'm not referring to normal speeds. I'm suggesting using another method entirely," Sora clarified, pulling out a white trigger decorated with intricate golden engravings.
"Shall we try interstellar travel using a black hole?"
Hearing this, both people present froze in place.
A—a black hole?!
...
The evacuation order for Tartaro was issued swiftly, condensed into four simple words: "Prepare for immediate departure."
Once it became clear that Tartaro might soon become the battlefield between Emanators and Titania, remaining here was utterly impossible.
Ignoring even the catastrophic damage of a clash between gods, just a collision between Emanators alone could obliterate countless planets.
At its worst, there'd even been cases where a Lord Ravager ignited entire star systems.
Clearly, Emanators possessed the power to destroy worlds.
And Tartaro itself was unreliable!
Earlier, when Sora had tried to fight Titania, the [Planetary Library] itself had urgently warned him. Though this planet appeared solid on the surface, it was entirely formed from Memoria—intangible emotional substance.
Memoria had no physical form, and this planet only maintained its structure due to its extreme density. Any powerful energy surge might instantly collapse it.
Sora had already chosen evacuation. Thus, standing before the entire planet's population, he announced decisively:
"All ships, move forward!"
But when the inhabitants saw the actual flight path, they were immediately dumbstruck.
Initially, the route seemed normal—but after a short distance, it suddenly leaped hundreds of light-years ahead!
"What kind of interstellar route is this?"
"How can we possibly jump like this?!"
"Are they mistaking our fleet for Akivili's Astral Express?!"
Instantly, everyone receiving this navigational data doubted its validity.
Yet, cautiously, they decided to trust it for now.
During Jobs's years here, he had earned tremendous respect for the IPC. Plus, the supposed jump point wasn't far from their current location anyway. They could easily investigate without wasting much fuel.
Since it wasn't costly to verify, why not?
With Sora's vessel leading, every ship on Tartaro lifted off together.
One after another, the fleet formed a glittering, silver dragon swimming through the starry void.
Yet, notably, Sora wasn't present in the lead ship.
He had arrived at the designated jump point ahead of everyone, waiting patiently.
"Hey, are you sure about doing something this dangerous?" Titania's voice betrayed slight worry.
Using a black hole for interstellar jumps—this was probably the first such attempt in the entire universe.
If news got out, it would surely astonish everyone. Yet Titania still harbored reservations.
"How will we know unless we try?" Sora answered calmly.
Previously, he'd used a black hole to leap directly inside the Deceiver Swarm King's cocoon, completely bypassing its defenses.
It made no sense that people could enter a black hole, yet starships couldn't!
Thus, Sora was determined to test it.
"Besides, don't you always call yourself a god? You can't possibly fail at something like this, right?"
"Tch, don't try goading me with petty tricks," Titania scoffed, irritated. "But performing a feat like this? Simple enough!"
"Then let's begin our experiment." Sora smiled softly toward the open void before him.
He raised the golden-engraved white trigger in his hand.
'[MUSCLE GALAXY! RIDER SYSTEM! EVOLUTION!]'
He spun the lever, and golden particles erupted from the [Fullbottle], forming three rings surrounding him.
Immediately afterward, pitch-black darkness spread out from the depths of space, drawing in and consuming nearby asteroids.
'[ARE YOU READY]'
"[Henshin]!"
'[BURAKKU HŌRU! BURAKKU HŌRU!]'
In an instant, Sora's form vanished, swallowed whole, leaving only boundless space behind.
'[BURAKKU HŌRU MUTEKI NO KINNIKU YARŌ!!]'
As the voice echoed from the void, a figure emerged once more from within the black hole.
'[BLACK HOLE CROSS-ZEVOL!]'
The originally white armor was now primarily black.
White patterns outlined his armor, devouring surrounding black void like miniature event horizons.
Scattered across his body were shimmering golden lines, carving distinct muscle contours into the armor. These golden patterns, stark against the black, made Sora's normally slender form appear shockingly muscular.
'[PANĒ! MAJI PANĒ!]'
"So this is my brand-new form, born from our cooperation?"
Sora clenched his fist, sensing a remarkable power flowing through every inch of his body!
With such power coursing through him…
Sora extended a hand toward the endless space before him.
A tiny black dot appeared, expanding and spreading alongside his open palm until it fully opened wide!
Asteroids floating nearby immediately began moving, drawn toward its irresistible gravity.
It was a casually-created black hole.
And as easily as it had appeared, the black hole vanished instantly when he closed his hand again.
"Not only can you freely summon it, but you also fully control its intensity…" Titania marveled quietly.
Such power might genuinely achieve the extraordinary feat of black hole jumps!
And it looks incredibly cool, too… Why didn't I try something like this before? Titania sighed deeply.
When she'd ascended as a god, she could've easily done such things herself. Now, with her strength diminished, she needed Sora's help to achieve this effect.
This really feels terrible!
"Were you jealous just now?" Sora sensed Titania's faint mood shift.
"Hah?! As if! For me, this is effortless!"
This wasn't entirely a lie—she simply didn't have enough strength to use it freely right now!
To Titania's stubborn reply, Sora responded succinctly: "Heh."
Normally, a single dismissive word from him would silence Titania for a long while.
But today was different!
"Shut up and look—the fleet's here," Titania quickly deflected.
"Wow, nice awkward topic change…"
"None of your business!"
Their bickering ended abruptly as ships appeared nearby.
Yet the fleet, upon arriving, wasn't surprised—because initially, they saw only empty space before them.
"As expected, this interstellar route must be wrong…"
"Does this mean we'll have to attempt an extremely long-distance voyage?"
But suddenly—
"Hey, look! Quickly, everyone look!"
An astonished cry rang through their communication channel.
Those who had lost hope gazed out at the endless void and gasped aloud in shock.
"What the hell…is that?!"
Through their ship windows, they saw clearly:
A distant figure stood there, back facing them, arms raised high.
With his gesture, a colossal black hole slowly emerged from nothingness.
The black hole's dark edges glowed faintly, devouring surrounding starlight like an endless abyss.
Against the backdrop of the black hole, the black-armored figure stood strikingly clear.
He appeared like a deity commanding universal law itself.
"Just whose Aeon's Emanator…is this person?!"
All eyes locked onto that figure, hearts filled with an indescribable awe and shock!
Summoning a black hole with just a wave of one's hand—such a terrifying power should belong only to an Aeon or their Emanators.
Not even Pathstriders who walked the destinies had witnessed such a spectacle.
Jobs watched this scene in astonishment. Though he'd long known Sora was extraordinary, seeing this power first-hand still left him utterly dumbfounded.
"This is…a black hole jump?"
The Intelligentsia scholar's voice trembled with excitement. He'd never imagined such a feat could exist.
In theory, using a black hole for interstellar travel was practically impossible. Even Akivili, the Trailblaze Aeon, had to lay tracks to achieve his journeys.
But now, witnessing a black hole casually summoned into existence—such a sight had never been recorded in history.
Sora himself remained unaware of the overwhelming shock his actions had caused among the crowd behind him.
At that moment, his attention focused entirely on sensing the galaxy's coordinates, carefully searching for the direction he'd identified earlier.
"Found it!" Sora began twisting the lever.
'[CROSS-Z SIDE!]'
An enormous, energy-formed dragon appeared, wrapping around his right fist.
"Hey, wait—are you seriously going to…?" Titania quickly sensed Sora preparing to do something reckless.
Unfortunately, her warning came too late.
'[READY, GO! MUSCLE FINISH!!]'
Like a meteor streaking across the cosmos, Sora's fist smashed straight into the black hole he'd just summoned!
And several hundred light-years away, in another part of empty space, a fist blazing like a shooting star appeared from nowhere and punched directly into the emptiness.
This punch initially seemed meaningless—after all, space was devoid even of air, an absolute nothingness.
Yet, in that instant, the space around the punch began violently rippling.
Twisting, distorting!
A black hole suddenly formed right before his outstretched fist!
And in that moment, the two black holes linked together!
The second black hole, born from Sora's punch, unleashed a tremendous gravitational pull.
Asteroids and stardust surged towards it, swirling around its edges and creating a dazzling, radiant halo.
Standing at one end of this cosmic passage, Sora slowly withdrew his fist.
As he pulled back, a crack split the black hole's core, rapidly expanding and stabilizing into a permanent passageway.
"Did—did it actually work?!"
"It certainly looks that way."
The black hole jump had miraculously succeeded. To everyone watching, this feat seemed utterly inconceivable.
Yet there it was, undeniably unfolding before their very eyes.
Robin, recovering swiftly from her shock, urgently relayed orders: "Tell everyone to start moving forward immediately!"
Taking advantage of the passageway Sora had painstakingly created was absolutely crucial.
After receiving Robin's command, all the waiting ships snapped out of their daze and began surging toward the newly formed corridor.
Meanwhile, Sora landed gently on a nearby asteroid.
"Do you realize if you'd messed up just now, you'd never have seen that arm again?" Titania's irritated complaint echoed sharply in his ears.
She never imagined Sora would recklessly create the exit point of the passage with such a risky method.
Had he failed, his arm might have ended up stranded hundreds of light-years away!
"I felt something strange just now," Sora murmured, watching his trembling fist closely. "The fundamental laws of this region of the universe have been distorted… You might not be able to leave this area."
If Titania's power had fully aligned with his, this strange occurrence shouldn't have happened.
But the reality was clear: once his power stretched beyond several hundred light-years, Titania's strength abruptly receded like a retreating tide.
She was being restricted by some fundamental cosmic rule, confined permanently within this vast area.
"Huh?" Titania paused, startled. "What exactly does that mean?"
"It means that—"
But just as Sora began explaining, an urgent communication suddenly interrupted him.
"Sora! My daughter, my daughter Fenille—she can't pass through the corridor!" Jobs's voice shouted desperately.
Inside a halted spaceship, Fenille stepped forward, but her body instantly began dissipating as though losing cohesion. One step backward, and she immediately solidified again.
This single step felt like an insurmountable chasm.
Beyond it lay rebirth; behind it stretched the abyss of certain death.
At that moment, Sora finally voiced the remainder of his unfinished thought to Titania:
"…It means that neither you nor anyone infused with your power can escape from here."
This entire region had become an inescapable coliseum for Titania.
Here, she would face the arriving Swarm Kings. Only death or total annihilation could grant release from this imprisonment.
Titania fell silent. The golden markings on Sora's armor dimmed considerably as she sank deep into thought, especially after learning escape was impossible.
A storm of emotions surged within her heart.
This feeling—it was rage.
For the first time, Titania experienced fury this profound. She hadn't felt such anger even when deceived, mocked, or during her failed ascension to godhood.
But now, she was genuinely enraged!
In that instant, a silver blade shimmering brilliantly appeared from nowhere, slashing directly toward Sora.
The Diabolical Swarm King had finally found an opening and seized the opportunity to strike while Sora was distracted!
But in response, the golden markings on Sora's armor flared blindingly bright.
Crack!
The crystal claw-blade, strong enough to slice through Qlipoth's Amber Wall, was effortlessly caught in "Sora's" bare hand.
"I really need to vent right now, so lend me your body for a bit…"
The Diabolical Swarm King desperately struggled but couldn't break free.
Its razor-sharp limb was tightly gripped by a hand hundreds of times smaller than itself, completely immobilizing it.
At that moment, "Sora" calmly twisted the lever.
'[TITAN SIDE!]'
Golden patterns multiplied rapidly, spreading wildly across his body, and in moments, his figure expanded dramatically.
Soon, he matched the towering height of the Diabolical Swarm King itself.
'[READY, GO! TITAN FINISH!!]'
Riiiip!
The crystalline limb was violently torn from its body. Immediately afterward, fists rained down mercilessly upon the Swarm King's battered carapace.
Its shell cracked and shattered beneath the relentless assault. Flesh beneath buckled under each ferocious strike, leaving behind countless deep, bloodied impressions.
Scarlet blood sprayed freely into the vacuum of space!
Then, with brutal finality, "Sora" slammed a vicious kick into the Swarm King's chest!