Chapter 9: ch-9 the black robed man
As the sphere of white light expanded, the immediate vicinity—spanning several hundred kilometers—was vaporized into a maelstrom of charged particles and electromagnetic radiation. But the true spectacle lay not in the initial burst, but in the exponential spatial blast wave triggered by the Phantom's star core.
The spherical wave of chaotic energy kept expanding—fast. Near-relativistic fast.
There was no sound, of course—space had no air to carry it—but light, heat, and electromagnetic fury rippled outward in every direction. Within seconds of the black-robed man's escape, the sphere had swelled to nearly 5,000 kilometers in diameter, with a further 1,000 kilometers of unstable, glowing electromagnetic fringe dancing violently at its edges.
The surface of the sphere shimmered, writhing with spatial distortions and energetic instabilities.
And then—
It began to collapse inward.
Instantly.
And then came the real explosion.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.
A titanic burst of pure heat and energy tore through space, shredding reality at its epicenter. In the aftermath, the vacuum itself seemed scarred—subtle gravitational and magnetic distortions lingered, warping sensors and confusing navigational systems.
The black-robed man and his flagship had been unspeakably lucky. Had they delayed by even a single second, they would have been caught in the collapse.