For the mighty city was--empty! Empty, lifeless, its streets deserted and bare, its vast mass of towering structures of blue vibrations without occupant of any kind! No single serpent-shape moved in all that tremendous city, and I saw that upon the great clearing where the vast serpent-fleet and the colossal death-beam cone had rested there was now nothing. The world beneath us, the universe about us, were a world, universe--deserted! [Illustration: "Its vast mass of towering structures of blue vibrations was without occupants of any kind."] "Too late!" Jhul Din's cry came to my ears like the voice of doom. "The defense of the gate was only to delay us, and the serpent-races have gone--they've struck! They've massed all their hordes in their great fleet and with their giant death-beam cone have sailed out across the void to attack our universe! We're too late!" Too late! The thought beat upon my brain like drum-beats of horror as we stood there, in utter silence. All had been in vain--our tremendous journey, our fierce struggles, the loss of Korus Kan--since already far across the void the serpent-hordes in their countless ships were rushing toward our universe, where their vanguard had prepared a foothold for them. They had known that we were summoning help from the Andromeda universe, had swiftly gathered and sailed on their great attack, leaving only a force at the great gate to delay us. Too late! Then suddenly resolution flamed again inside me, and I pressed swiftly the keys before me, sent our whole fleet turning and speeding outward again--out through the dying universe away from the great trio of suns at its center--out toward the great opening in the vibration-wall. "Too late--_no_!" I shouted. "We'll follow them across the void toward our own universe! They could not have completed that great death-beam cone yet--they've taken it with them to our own universe to complete it there--and if we can reach them and attack them before they have time to complete it, we yet may save our universe!" Now our great fleet was rushing toward and through the opening in the vibration-wall, out into the void of outer space once more. There we halted, massed again in our pyramidal flight-formation, and then were turning slowly toward the left, toward the far little patch of glowing light that was our universe. Then we were moving toward it, with swiftly gathering speed, faster and faster, until at our utmost velocity we were racing through the infinite immensities of space toward it; flashing on toward the last act of the vast, cosmic drama that was rising now to its climax; rushing on through the void toward the final great battle in which the destinies of three mighty universes and all their suns and worlds and peoples were to be decided for all time! _14. Back to the Galaxy_