Gustav gritted his teeth as the shadow chains started to slowly come undone due to his immense power. However, he wouldn't be quick enough to free himself before the attack struck and this chains seemed to lock his spatial abilities in place. The spear glowed brighter as Nocturnis smiled wickedly while the Overseer raised his arm. All of a sudden, a crack appeared in space behind Gustav. A burst of unknown energy gathered. Silence broke across the universe like shattering glass. The Overseer's spear of light, held in a stance ready to impale Gustav, flickered as both he and Nocturnis felt the ripple. A strange vibration that felt foreign, trembled through the space as the shadow chains connected to Gustav's figure suddenly snapped. The moment this happened, he vanished and reappeared a good distance away, right before the cracks. He recognized the energy signature immediately. "...Hmm? Is that..." he muttered. Nocturnis clicked his tongue. "Something approaches." The Overseer frowned. "What is this intrusive presence…?" Then the fabric of space tore open. A rip the size of a planetary moon split behind Gustav, spilling cosmic light across the surroundings. One by one up to fifteen figures stepped out. They were each different in shape, size, origin, but all radiating an unmistakable aura. Cosmic Superiority Beings scattered across the universe, possessing a power that made them superior to other living creatures all across the cosmos. Beings who owed their cosmic superior strength to Gustav the Outworldly, even if they never fully knew why. Some were humanoid. Some were serpentine. Some resembled walking nebulae, beasts clad in stardust, or constructs powered by planetary cores. One appeared as a towering crystalline woman with fractal wings. Another as an armored lizard with thousands of eyes. Another, a living storm of lightning given semi-humanoid shape. But all bowed their heads slightly upon arrival. Not in worship but in recognition. Gustav had a look of pleasant surprise on his face. "Cosmic Superiors…" he whispered. "You came." The largest among them who was a titanic armored being composed of superheated magma and core-iron, boomed: "WE SENSED YOU ACROSS SILENCE AND DISTANCE. WE KNEW YOU NEEDED US." The crystalline woman added, "We know of our origins. And so we know, we owe this power to the Outworldly." Nocturnis sighed dramatically. "How sentimental. Disgusting." The Overseer's wings flared ominously. "So these insects dare intrude on the battlefield of deities?" His voice resonated with divine disdain. "They are nothing. Cosmic Superiority is but a spark compared to foundational divinity." "Maybe alone," the lightning storm-being replied with crackling voice. "But there are fifteen of us." Nocturnis stepped forward with shadows licking his limbs like serpents. "Then you will die fifteen times." Gustav finally floated down beside the newcomers. "You shouldn't have come," he growled. "It's too dangerous." The crystalline woman smiled gently. "You blessed us with Cosmic Superiority. We owe our existence as we are today to you." The magma giant rumbled. "And you have saved our worlds countless times in the past from deities. We do not abandon allies." Gustav exhaled. He didn't have the strength to protect them and fight deities. But they knew that. And they came anyway. Even though not a single one of them was below the level of Transdimensional Cosmic Superiority, they were still miles away from the level of strength of a deity. Nonetheless, no other being in the universe besides the deities came close to their level of power except the Xyfect. Nocturnis stretched his fingers. "This will be entertaining." The Overseer lifted his spear again. "They fall first." The fifteen beings launched themselves in different directions, forming a shimmering celestial formation. Their cosmic superiority allowed them to adapt instantly to cosmic-scale combat. Their attacks rained across the battlefield: Galaxy-slicing beams Dimensional ripples Gravity implosion punches Solar-flare whips Crystal fracturing blasts Lightning storms dense enough to rival magnetar fields Each attack struck Nocturnis and the Overseer with perfect synchronization. The Overseer's body recoiled under multiple impacts. Nocturnis's shadows writhed under the pressure. Gustav jumped into the fray, roaring like a primordial beast as his form grew larger. "Push them back!" Gustav shouted. They obeyed as if the order had been carved into their souls. For the first time since the battle started… Gustav wasn't fighting alone. But the deities were never prey. The Overseer raised a single finger toward a winged alien who had just launched a gravity burst. Light condensed. "Entropy Reset." The being evaporated instantly. Just like that... one of the fifteen was gone. The crystalline woman screamed. "Zarka!" Nocturnis teleported behind another smaller Cosmic Superior being who was a fox-like creature made of plasma. "I dislike clutter," he whispered. A shadow blade slipped through her skull. She fell lifeless with her body twitching before dispersing into cosmic vapor. Two dead in mere seconds. The magma giant roared. "YOU MONSTERS!" They attacked even harder and much more desperate. Gustav's rage spiked. "STOP TARGETING THEM!" he shouted, slamming a fist into the Overseer so hard it cracked a galactic arc. "They aren't your enemies!" "They stand with you," the Overseer replied coldly. "That makes them obstacles." Nocturnis tore through a third being's cosmic shield, leaving him bleeding. Gustav leapt backward, dragging the injured being out of the way with destructive force. But Nocturnis was already targeting another. Gustav moved with incredible speed and slammed into Nocturnis before he could reach the cosmic superior beings. He couldn't keep doing this... he couldn't protect them while fighting. His movements grew strained and his defense turned sluggish as he had to split his focus between protecting and fighting. The crystalline woman shouted, "Gustav, stop worrying about us—focus on the Overseer!" "You'll die!" "THEN LET US DIE AS WARRIORS!" the magma giant boomed. The shift in atmosphere was violent. They were determined and resolved, accepting of their fate. Many of them had been alive for over a millennia, after all so they didn't mind dying here for something greater than themselves. And that acceptance triggered something ancient among them. The crystalline woman's body suddenly emitted a pinkish glow that spread forth and then the magma giant did the same. Then all remaining thirteen beings. Energy spread between them, weaving like threads in a cosmic loom. Gustav recognized it instantly. "You're merging—" "We must," the crystalline woman smiled sadly. "For you." Before he could protest again… They fused. Light... Darkness... Gravity... Heat... Crystal... Storm... Nebula... Metal... Matter... Spirit... All of it merged into a titanic being that dwarfed planets. A colossal entity, thousands of kilometers tall, shaped vaguely humanoid but made of swirling cosmic layers. Its voice echoed like a thousand overlapping tones. "WE ARE THE COSMIC COLOSSUS." The instant it moved, spacetime trembled like flimsy cloth. Nocturnis's eyes widened slightly. "…This is troublesome." The Colossus swung an arm. A shockwave tore through reality, slamming Nocturnis into a pitch-black singularity of its own creation. Nocturnis screeched in irritation. "You insolent—" The Colossus stomped. Its foot shattered several dimensions layered beneath the battlefield. For the first time, Nocturnis was not the predator. He was struggling due to the unprecedented rise in power from the merged Cosmic Beings. The titanic being gated its internal fusion energy into a blast that engulfed Nocturnis completely. Meanwhile with Nocturnis occupied, Gustav finally focused all his energy on the Overseer. Destruction aura blazed around him like an apocalyptic storm. He vanished and reappeared in front of the Overseer, a fist coated in collapsing gravitational layers. BAM!!! The Overseer flew backward, slamming into a pulsar that shattered like cheap glass. Gustav followed with relentless attacks... Punch. Kick. Beam. Annihilation burst. Spatial tear. Thermal collapse. The Overseer's perfect wings dimmed. He coughed divine fluid due to the intense barrages. "You… dare…" "You have caused death dor the last time.." Gustav voiced with coldness before slamming him again. "You endanger the universe." "You endangered your kind!" the Overseer fired back, straining. "You should have died long ago!" Gustav didn't stop for even a millisecond. For the first time, the Overseer was truly pushed back. Blow after blow. The universe shook like it was watching gods fall. And then, Gustav raised his fist, gathering a strange milky colored energy that glowed ominously. Everything trembled at this moment as a great pressure washed across space. There was no doubt that unleashing this attack, would wreak immeasurable damage. "This ends—" Just as a he was about to deal the overseer this blow... KRAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!! A deafening blast split the battlefield. Everyone froze. Even the Cosmic Colossus halted mid-strike. Nocturnis's grin spread while the Overseer's eyes widened. "It came from…" Gustav who was just about to unleash the final attack suddenly felt a strange weakness. The moment he turned, he understood why. The protective golden barrier Gustav had erected around his unconscious original form — the one regaining his full Outworldly strength — was ruptured from the inside. Cracks spread like spiderwebs. Inside… His real body lay crumpled against the barrier wall with two limbs missing and a gaping hole where his chest used to be. Blood sprayed across the barrier's surface. "Huh…" Gustav breathing turned heavy. And standing in the center of the barrier was a silhouette.