When his eyes met the eyes of the intended opponent, sparks flew between them, for the shadow knew its path and the game's hero would now face the final villain... or rather, the perfect description for that would be:
"The teacher against the student."
And the name was finally uttered..
"Mercury.."
No one whispered.. but the gazes of these two at each other reigned over the throne of anticipation. They were deep, so much that I thought them longer than the age of stars in the universe, not devoid of anger or challenge, as if they were exchanging blows before the fight began.
But that charged calm didn't last, as Venus's voice—congested with refusal and anger—tore it apart by saying:
"What? This is impossible! We will never accept this! Freezing the Sun?! Do you think we're as stupid as you to believe such a crazy idea?! Are you in your full cognitive powers or has your expulsion affected them? The idea of freezing the Sun?!"
The president of the second planet's words were supported by Jupiter, whose eyes that sparkled with their different colors showed the doubt that never left their owner:
"The mere passage of the idea through your head indicates madness! No matter what he did, we all know how many entities have tried that throughout millions of cosmic years. For it is, after all... the Sun!!"
Pluto turned around calmly, turning his back to the council, as if mocking their concern, then said in a tone of fake humility:
"Heh... okay... okay... you have a point of view on that... no, you're right."
He was silent for a moment, before his entire body trembled, and revealed his true face. The sound of his laughter was heard, which seemed to rise gradually, and he suddenly turned to them, having actually exploded. His laugh was strange, broken, a mixture of obsession and brokenness, as if it came from the depths of a being who had suppressed all the pains of his past... then burst toward the present.
He opened his arms like a madman, his eyes almost hidden under the shadow of his eyelids. Even his voice this time seemed more like an extension, like an echo in the void of the galaxy:
"Hahaha! They believed me... they believed me when I said they were right... they want it to end like this? Hahahahaha! How naive..."
But his laughter stopped suddenly, as if Pluto himself was annoyed by it. It was replaced by a pitch-black anger. He then bared his fangs that interlocked from the force of clenching them, until his blue aura exploded around him like an icy storm. It was terrifying, sending waves of terror throughout the hall.
Then he roared:
"Do you think I don't know that the Sun is difficult to freeze? Do you think I'm a fool?! You foolish idiots?!"
"All there is to it..." he said as he approached the freezing device, the one that glowed near the unknown, then placed his hand on it forcefully until the screen transmitting the conversation trembled. His legendary status was immortalized, to the extent that merely touching it sent an echo across millions of kilometers.
Then he continued:
"I know with absolute certainty that this beast won't be able to freeze the Sun... but I researched the truth of this great star... and with the help of Haumea's research too... I found its weakness."
He sighed a little, as if what he was about to say would change the course of history:
"The Sun is now in the middle of its life... in fact, its brightness increases by 1% every cosmic million years... but, thanks to this device, I will be able to accelerate its nuclear reactions residing in its core, which doubles the rate of hydrogen burning."
His terrifying smile, which almost reached his eyes, warned of what would be said:
"The conclusion is... that your sun will reach the stage of 'deadly glow', where its radiation increases by 40% within 500,000 cosmic centuries... but this won't happen... because this device of mine will speed up the process... making the Sun a red giant... then it will eject its outer layers, and collapse... into a white dwarf... in just five thousand centuries!"
Seromi shook beneath their feet, for with every word pouring from Pluto's mouth, it was like drops of burning oil on fire. There is no room for doubt, neither in his investigation that flows like a sweeping torrent, nor in his madness that shone before them like a dying star.
Silence prevailed again. Mars felt his feet sinking into his planet, as if it were quicksand, but he composed himself, and tried to respond, to balance the scale:
"We don't—"
But a voice cut his own, but unlike his, it was distinguished by firm calmness:
"I agree..."
It was Mercury, president of the first planet, stepping slowly, lowering his gray eyes, as he occupied all gazes and thoughts. Then he continued his speech, looking directly toward Pluto with sparks flying between them as if they were talking without anyone hearing them. I don't find that strange—after all, Pluto was the first to meet Mercury. Not only that, he was the first to train him.
"I agree to your condition, Pluto..."
Everything he said was as if he had dropped his burning meteors on the hall that had not been free from anxiety since the beginning of the meeting.
But Venus pounced, shouting:
"You... Mercury... what are you doing?!"
Mercury didn't respond, but slowly raised his hand and placed it on Venus's chest, asking him to back down without the need for words.
Everyone understood the message... that Mercury had made his decision.
And that was all Pluto needed to continue, with a sarcastic smile:
"Heh... finally, I'll face you, you failure... let's see now, who is the weak one who needs harsh and painful words."
The X-Politas screen began to close gradually, but Mercury's face was still attached to the gazes of his coming opponent, and the solid determination in his eyes cut what his mouth said:
"Even though you distorted the saying... I will beat you up until you say it again in the correct form."
And with the end of the last words uttered by Pluto:
"Your planet will be a witness to your death."
There was no room for return.
The battle was indeed declared... but it wasn't just another conflict in the record of those cosmic battles. It wasn't a passing confrontation that passes as its predecessors did.
This time... the opponents were for the first time: two of the planetary leaders, face to face, each carrying a deep anger toward the other, and a common goal... but with two contradictory methods.
But most important of all:
A battle for the supreme purpose...
When the curtain was drawn on this scene, the entire universe seemed to contract around the declared arena of conflict, to become merely a background for a battle that would judge all either with annihilation, or with salvation.
So how will the Judgment be?
— End of Chapter —