"Alright, back to the issue at hand. The X3X Empire has declared war on us. Although it would take them thousands of years to marshal their forces from across countless galaxies, we can't afford to sit idle, waiting for death. Instead, we must grow our strength,” Carter announced, his powerful voice resonating through the hall.

Zhala clenched her fists, the fury evident in her eyes. "Anything the Lord commands shall be done. Those bastards won’t know what hit 'em!"

"But my Lord," Ralak interjected with a respectful bow, "how exactly will we build our forces?"

Carter’s lips curled into a confident smile. "Follow me."

With a swift yet graceful movement, Carter was suddenly in front of his palace doors. It wasn’t a flash like lightning but a serene, holy presence that seemed to part the air around him. “Come,” he said warmly, his voice resonating with calm authority. His sentinels followed closely behind, and as Carter pressed his hand against the grand palace doors, they opened with a clean, resonant creak.

“No need to build... we only need to prepare,” Carter said as they entered.

The sight before them was nothing short of magnificent. Carter’s sanctuary was filled with rows upon rows of majestic soldiers clad in radiant gold armor, each with bright, angelic wings unfurled behind them. Their numbers stretched to what seemed like infinity—at least a billion soldiers, all standing in formation, spears or swords planted firmly at their feet, their heads bowed in eternal reverence.

The six sentinels gazed in awe at the beautiful sight, entranced by the vastness and brilliance of Carter’s haven. As they admired the scene, the seventh sentinel stirred from her slumber, rising to her feet in a voluminous cloak. Her hood obscured her face as she walked toward the group.

Lorna glanced back, noticing the figure approaching. “My Lord, is this one of our saint brothers or sisters?” she asked, curiosity tinged in her voice.

Carter shook his head gently. “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

The sentinels turned to face the figure as she stopped a few steps from them. With a soft, fluid motion, she reached up and drew back her hood, revealing large, soft rabbit ears that perked up and fell gently around her head. Beneath them was a face that resembled a lifelike demi-human rabbit, her fur a delicate shade of light pink. She wore a katana at her side, her demeanor both poised and friendly.

“Hello, everyone,” she said, bowing her head respectfully. “My name is Sinith. The Lord has told me a lot about you all. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Sinith was once a commander from the fleet sent to confront Carter after he devoured their stars. Unlike her fellow commanders, she alone sought to negotiate, hoping for an agreement despite Cartee thinking her attempt was borderline naive. Her courage in reaching out moved Carter, and before creating his sentinels, he summoned her soul to his haven. There, they spoke, and he made sinith under why he summoned her, Sinith vowed that if he granted her another life, she would stand by his side as his sword. Carter agreed, crafting a new body for her and bestowing upon her the title of sentinel.

As Carter observed his sentinels, he sensed a surge and he sensed a familiar link, instinctively understanding what it meant. A smirk tugged at his lips. “Alright, everyone,” he began, “get to know Sinith better and oversee the training of my guardians. Also, the Ordinary Haven and Reincarnation Grounds are now off-limits. Only standard deceased followers’ souls should be in those realms for the time being.”

The sentinels knelt, with Ralak leading, his voice steady. “As the Lord commands.”

“Good. I’ll be away for a while but will return soon.” In an instant, Carter vanished, teleporting out of his haven and high above his planet’s surface, overlooking his entire domain. And there they were—his planetary clones, finally returning from their journey of mass accumulation.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“HAHAHA, about damn time you bastards decided to show up!” he laughed, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Even from the edge of his Zone Vision, their immense sizes were unmistakable. Each of the ten clones had reached the scale of Jupiter, their accumulated mass over the years staggering. And on the other side of his zone vision, shining radiantly, was his sun. Its light washed over him, immense and powerful, a stellar body one-third the size of a full-grown yellow dwarf star.

“Haha, you all arrived just in time."

[System Notice]

The host now possesses all the mass and celestial energy required to create a solar system. Since this will be the host's first solar system, it's recommended that the host makes the entirety of the system their main body.

Carter studied the system prompt, feeling a spark of curiosity. Fuse with it? he thought. But how does that even work? A solar system is really just planets orbiting a sun, right? If I fuse with it, isn’t that like having a bunch of main bodies? What’s the difference between this and just using clones?

[System]

In a conventional sense, yes. However, fusing with the solar system means the host will become one with it in every sense. This is the host’s third state of evolution. By becoming a solar system, the host gains not only complete control over each celestial body but also full command over the domain itself. This will unlock more system functions and grant new abilities.

Carter grinned. “Sounds promising. So, what are the steps?”

[System]

Creating a solar system without fusing with it would only cost what’s required to establish life on its planets. But if the host chooses to make it their main body, or “domain,” a fully developed sun is necessary. It’s also suggested that the host absorb half the mass from the ten planetary clones, as sustaining planets of their current size would drain excess resources.

“Yeah, that was the plan. Keeping ten Jupiters around would be a bit excessive.” Carter glanced back at his new sun, a proud look on his face. “This whole ‘becoming a solar system’ thing is actually intriguing. And now that my sun has returned…”

He shifted his consciousness over to the sun, and a new sensation washed over him. He still felt like himself, yet profoundly different, with an awareness of the intense energy rippling through him. It was exhilarating, knowing he could unleash solar flares or alter his temperature with a mere thought. “How did this thing stay hidden for so long?”

[System]

Plot.

“Right, of course.” With a smirk, Carter launched himself off in his sun form, making sure to stay clear of his planetary clones as he journeyed back to the sun he left the gravitational lock on.

“That damn sun’s been draining me dry ever since I got here,” Carter muttered, a bit of irritation slipping through. “Absorbing it is going to be a huge relief, especially since I planned to use it to form a more powerful god state.”

In his sun form, Carter shot forward, moving at incredible speeds—far beyond anything he could have achieved before with his abilities fitting his size. Within minutes, he reached the edges of the now gone X3X solar system that contained the massive sun. “There she is,” he said, taking in the star from an entire solar system away, its gravitational pull already reaching him. “So… usual colliding tactic, System?”

[System]

That’s unnecessary. The host only needs to stay near it and absorb until you’re the size of a fully grown sun. After that, convert the excess into celestial energy. Otherwise, the additional mass could turn the host into a blue straggler—a massive, intensely hot blue star.

“Simple enough.” Carter moved directly in front of the sun, its gravitational pull drawing him even closer. Disengaging the gravitational lock, he began to drain it. Streams of radiant energy poured into him, and he expanded rapidly. The sun in front of him dwindled in size, while his own form swelled to a mature solar mass. Switching tactics, Carter started channeling the rest of the incoming energy into celestial energy, gaining billions every few seconds.

Just as he was about to complete the process, his surroundings changed subtly. The universe was a vast, dark stretch, but Carter’s zone vision, now enhanced to a span of ten solar systems, let him perceive great distances. And now, there was… nothing in front of him. It wasn’t a void of empty space, but a vast wall of inky black.

[WARNING!!]

The host has encountered an Adult Cosmic Dwarf Worm. Engaging with this entity at the host’s current level is not advised. Evacuate immediately.

The sight hit him like a shockwave. What he was seeing was only its mouth, yet it was so colossal it could easily engulf dozens of suns. Its massive, serpentine head had pierced through space itself, its fanged maw poised right in front of him.

“Fuck.”