Somewhere in the Multiverse, Milky Way Galaxy, Planet Earth (year 5025).
Antônio stood on top of a building, staring at the sky, lost in memories of himself and his brother, when a mechanical bird flew toward him and landed on his right shoulder.
The bird opened its beak, and from within came a female voice:
— Everything's ready, boss. We've got the surgeon.
Hearing the bird, Antônio whispered:
— Activate.
Immediately, a warm sensation enveloped him. His skin was covered by a strange energy, cracking through his very structure.
His entire body glowed with a faint blue light. If one didn't look closely, they wouldn't even notice.
His skin started to gain extra bluish layers, with a texture resembling reptilian scales.
Then, wings began to sprout from his back.
This transformation was the first phase of the Dragon God Body, a bio-advanced technology that combined biochemistry with quantum physics. Even with the guidance of the Supremacy System, it had taken Antônio and his scientists seven years just to gather the necessary materials and another three years for construction and integration.
As soon as the transformation was complete, he flew straight toward the Moon.
When he first activated the Supremacy System, it explained its purpose: it had no other use but to allow the host to evolve until becoming the greatest predator in the entire Multiverse.
If the host died, the system would fall into dormancy and only awaken again when a new host was chosen.
Antônio had two missions.
The first mission was to build the Dragon God Body. After many battles and many deaths — of others, not his own — he finally completed it.
The second mission was to implant the Heart of Supremacy, a perpetual generator capable of producing infinite energy without entropy. This heart was stored in the system's virtual space, but since Antônio didn't yet have the complete body, he had wasted ten years of his life waiting.
Arriving at the lunar city, Antônio flew directly to a small building and landed.
It was a well-organized laboratory, equipped with everything needed to perform a surgery assisted by a top-Gamma class artificial intelligence.
From the outside, the lab looked easy to enter. In reality, it was heavily guarded by soldiers equipped with the most advanced technology in the known universe. These guards worked for Sparks Tech.
Even before Geremi's death, Antônio had already been the owner of one of the most advanced tech companies on the planet: Sparks Tech.
The company was founded by him and Geremi when he was just fourteen. It began as a group stealing prototype technologies from other corporations and reselling them. A year later, Geremi put him in charge while he enlisted in the police.
According to Geremi, one needed influence in every relevant sector to maneuver easily in times of crisis.
That idea proved extremely useful. Antônio recruited street kids, trained them, and Sparks Tech began producing its own technology.
With the arrival of the Supremacy System, the company skyrocketed: from a local planetary corporation, it became a galactic powerhouse in just three years.
The Galactic Federation classified civilizations into four levels, from 0 to 3:
Level 0: primitive civilization, unable to alter its environment with technology. Most planets fall into this category.
Level 1: civilization capable of exploring atomic energy through collision or fusion. Known as a plebeian civilization.
Level 2: civilization able to extract energy from the mere existence of atoms, without collision or fusion. Known as a baron civilization.
Level 3: civilization capable of harnessing energy from the space between particles and from antimatter. Known as an imperial civilization.
The system contained blueprints for technologies across all levels. Even though it didn't provide ready-made products, just the projects alone allowed for incredible breakthroughs.
Earth was affiliated with a level 3 civilization called the Angels. They granted their affiliates broad freedom but had one clear rule: they would not interfere in conflicts unless another level 3 civilization was involved.
Currently, Earth was considered a top-level 1 civilization, just one step away from level 2.
As Antônio walked toward the lab, he let his mind wander.
According to the Supremacy System, after the implantation of the Heart of Supremacy, he would need to remain in a coma for five hundred years.
Not that this bothered him. What truly worried him was the fate of the company he and his brother had founded.
Even with technological advances, a common human — even spending a fortune on treatments — could only live about 230 years.
Fortunately, the system had given him the blueprints for a top-Gamma robot, powered by vacuum energy, with minimal maintenance. That robot was his current assistant: Lara.
— How are the preparations, Lara? — Antônio asked, as he saw the blonde speaking with a group of doctors.
— All in order, boss! I've already spoken with the Galactic Alliance. We promised them a lifetime supply of our technologies, as long as they smooth things out for us over the next five hundred years — Lara replied with a cute smile.
She stood at 1.66m, with emerald-green eyes and a natural beauty that made her indistinguishable from an ordinary human.
— It's an honor to perform a surgery of this caliber, sir — said one of the doctors, staring at Antônio, whose current form resembled a reptilian demon, with broad wings and elf-like pointed ears.
— Sparks Tech will fund you and your families for the rest of your lives. Just do a good job — Antônio replied, reverting his transformation as he lay down on the surgical bed.
This surgery would be delicate. It wasn't just a simple heart replacement.
The Heart of Supremacy was unique. Antônio didn't know where the system had obtained it, but he was sure he had never seen anything like it.
Beyond all the elements of a normal heart, it had additional structures: meridians, redundancy fields, and other mysterious components.
He had heard of meridians before — theoretical pathways for qi energy. But the other elements, he couldn't even begin to guess their meaning.
In the entire galaxy, only a single doctor had successfully completed the virtual simulation of the Heart of Supremacy's implantation. That alone showed how difficult the real procedure would be.
Lying down, Antônio raised his hands as if holding something. A light appeared in his palms.
A metallic heart in golden and green hues manifested, pulsating. Energy coursed through its artificial veins, illuminating the room.
The doctors froze in shock at the sight. It looked like a masterpiece.
One of them carefully took the heart and placed it on the surgical table.
— Let's begin the procedure — said the lead doctor.
Antônio was placed into controlled unconsciousness, and the operation began.
This was the first step in creating the greatest predator in the entire Multiverse.