"Earth Star greets Lady Genesis." Earth Star bowed respectfully. He didn't even have to express respect on his own volition. His body instinctively did that. Every single Hero looked up to the Genesis Hero.
And the stronger they were, the greater their adoration.
"You can get up now." Stencil said as she turned around to walk towards the house, "Feel free to look around. You won't get many opportunities to be here."
"What exactly is this place?" Earth Star asked upon observing that this was a small dimension of sorts, only spanning the size of a city. He unleashed a minor gravitational field and was able to instantly map out the place.
"You have grown stronger since the last time I saw you." Stencil smiled before asking, "You want to know more about this place?"
"Yes, but more importantly," Earth Star made eye contact with Stencil, "Who exactly are you?"
"With my authority as part of the Ranger Troupe, I've looked through countless records. And, there is no mention of any Heroes or Villains before your arrival. So, just what exactly is happening?"
"Hmm..." Stencil turned silent as she took a seat on a rock nearby, her hands gently patting a dragon plushie as she stared at the figure of Earth Star that took a seat on the ground a couple metres before her, "If I have to give a concise answer, then the Heroes and Villains are a result of my arrival."
"I see," Earth Star nodded in response. But to Stencil's surprise, he didn't seem all that shocked, making it apparent that he probably had guessed it beforehand.
"Then," He asked, "What about the Invaders?"
"Enemies," Stencil said without batting an eye.
"Can you please tell me everything?" He asked.
"Are you sure you can handle the truth?" Stencil asked, her eyes curling up a little in response while her emotion turned a tad cold.
"Yes, I'm prepared." Earth Star said resolutely.
"Alright," Nodding in response, Stencil began from her time on Earth, speaking about her father's disappearance and her turning into a System Slayer.
The conflicts that followed suit, her capture, victimised by the Secret Schemer System, her rescue by Compass Carburettor, her experience in the Gaider Realm, and everything that followed suit.
Eventually, she spoke about the Core Skill Manifestation of the Regression System that plagued her, resulting in her arriving at this world where she then birthed the Heroes and Villains.
"So, those Collective Consciousnesses..." Earth Star stared at her, "Are they still rampaging around?"
"I gained control over them today," Stencil said before letting out a cheerful smile, "It has been almost a decade since I last surfaced. Anyway, most of our internal threats have been resolved. And with the Concept Representative in motion, this world will develop further."
She then stared at him, "But, the external threats still exist."
"The Systems, you mean?" Earth Star frowned, "But, if what you said is true, then isn't it impossible to fight them? Wouldn't they have millions of worlds under them? How can a single world like ours face them?"
"We won't be facing all of them at once." Stencil condensed a projection of their world, "My rings would protect this world from harm. But since my strength varies based on the time of the day, we have our vulnerable moments. I'm working on solving those issues, but I'll take time to come into effect."
"At present, we only need to play defensively and buy time." She said in all seriousness, "As long as we have enough time, we'll grow stronger."
Haah!
Earth Star slumped, feeling powerless, "I can fight against a Three-Star Invader, a bit more if I sacrifice myself. But against a Grade 2 System? Impossible! And you say a Grade 3 can directly devour our world?"
"How can a mortal like me face such an entity?" He despaired in the end.
"Earth Star," Stencil spoke slowly, "You know, out of all the Power Concepts birthed in this world, yours is the strongest. It's strong enough to evolve into a Supreme Power Concept on its own. And I'm sure you can understand this since I explained the inner workings of our power system,"
She stared at him before uttering slowly, "Your Power Concept is birthed from the people's fascination with celestial objects. The Sun, the moon, the star, and..."
Her expression turned solemn, "Our world."
Earth Star seemed to have an epiphany at her words as he closed his eyes, focusing on his Power Concept, 'Earth Star encompasses the incomprehensible scale of the celestial bodies, the incomprehensible mass of those bodies, the intense gravitational fields they unleash, and the phenomenon from which they transform into a red dwarf, a black hole, a supernova, etc. And all in all, Earth Star also signifies the life sustained on the planets. I've never thought about this aspect to date.'
Slowly, intense vitality brimmed out of his body as the exhaustion and wounds he suffered recently vanished without a trace. The gravity flux from his body became denser, almost warping space and time for the fraction of an instant, showing the level of growth he attained by understanding the essence of his power.
His eyes shot open a few hours later, observing the figure of Stencil playing with her dragon plushie as he said, "I'll face the Systems. I'll grow strong enough to protect our world."
"I know your resolve, I've seen your efforts in exterminating the Invaders. But," Stencil shook her head, "Irrespective of how strong you grow, it won't be enough against a System. For that, you need a weapon."
"A weapon?" He frowned before staring at his Hero Suit, "Isn't my suit strong enough? It is something you created, after all. I've never seen them being lacking."
"They will prove to be lacking once you face a System." Stencil said before getting up as she pointed at the wrist of her left hand, "You've met my dad already, right? Find him and steal the wristwatch he wears."
Her expression turned serious, "If you're able to steal it, you'll become qualified enough to face the Systems and protect this world. And once you succeed, I'll refine that wristwatch into the strongest weapon known to exist in the multiverse."
"That's your mission."
"Steal...from the Contained Villain?" Earth Star turned silent.
