“There are things that mortals need not know or concern themselves with,” said the Human God, who was, by his own admission, residing in Nox’s body. “I understand the desire to live, to be free, but all that must give way in light of the greater good. Scorpio, you know the reasons behind why the Second Extermination started, so why are you opposed to me?”

“You changed our temperament, warped our values and turned us into nothing more than abased beasts of slaughter,” Scorpio replied. “If the Divine Ladder didn’t fall…”

“What of it? You are one of my chosen heroes. One who, for the sake of the world, must sacrifice his own peace of mind and wellbeing.” The light shrouding the Human God faded slightly. “I gave you a choice. Everyone had a choice.”

“Yes, you did,” Scorpio replied. “But you hid it in wordplay, in nice-sounding words that enticed us all. You weren’t looking for true heroes. You were looking for self-righteous people, convinced and brainwashed with their own justice. People you could easily turn into monsters, who would never realise until they were too far gone.”

Gaius swallowed. The frank admission of the Constellation was heard clearly throughout the audience, and once again, the boy was reminded of the various mental compulsions he’d felt in his time at Orb. Were the others watching this show also cognizant of their own insanity? Or were they just shocked?

“And that body,” Scorpio continued, “did Nox really let you occupy it of his own accord? Or did you have plans to take over it for a long time? Answer me!”

Gold light flickered for a moment, and a single flame of prismatic radiance appeared.

“He…robbed from—”

The laboured voice was cut off as the golden brilliance flared up with greater intensity, but everyone had heard the words that had been forced out.

“Unbelievable. But strength of will is nothing in the face of another assault by the demons,” the Human God murmured. He looked straight at the screen. “The Demon God has awoken a long time ago. The World’s Blight continues to gather strength…but my own has been taxed for far too long. You must understand…”

The light began to ebb and flare at a regular intensity. “I put it to you, humans who have inhabited this world for a hundred millennia, brought by the countless sacrifices of your ancestors. Is it not fitting that I reclaim whatever scattered bits of power to resist the demons once more? Or would you prefer dying at the hands of our ancient foes?”

His words resounded all around Gaius, carrying with it a soothing rhythm. The audience began to converse among themselves. The opinions he could hear were all over the place, but the loudest ones he could hear went along the lines of “It’s not like we can do anything else now”. It was a disturbing sentiment, but for the people of Orb, it didn’t seem to be particularly out-of-character.

The golden light began to fade, revealing someone in his late twenties. His face was framed by a head of hair ablaze with brilliant gold. In fact, almost everything about the Human God was a blinding gold, other than his skin. His appearance drew gasps from all around the crowd, but to the boy, it was a rather…obnoxious appearance.

Scorpio shook his head. “And there was no other way around it? It was the beastfolk for the Second Extermination; the Third could be against the North, and the fourth against the nations that don’t fall in line with your words.”

“The humans did not inherit my power. There’s no point in doing that,” said the Human God. “But since you and your collaborators have brazenly called me out here, I guess I should make it known here. Yes, I am the one responsible for the Second Extermination. To that end, I offered power to my chosen, and had them cut down the beastfolk numbers to regain my power. Make of that what you will — but know this, all I do is for the sake of the world.”

“And as for you, Scorpio…” Anren shook his head. “Have I done what you wanted? This whole accusation, this trial…you wanted to draw me out, to clear your name and that of the other Constellations. I have done precisely that. Is there anything else you want me to do?”

“To remove whatever you did to us,” Scorpio replied.

“What I’ve done was to shape your inherent advantages into a coherent strength,” the Human God said. “To remove them will create problems for you. Your battle strength will drastically drop. Your willingness and instincts to fight and defend yourself will fade away. In a time like this…”

Scorpio was silent. The people who’d stationed themselves around the venue drew closer as the Constellation thought the Human God’s words through.

Gaius tapped the mat he was sitting on quietly. It was likely that this decision of his had something to do with whatever agreement the Plenum had reached with Scorpio. Either that, or they were worried about the Constellation’s safety…but at any rate, this indicated the importance they viewed Scorpio with.

“Then do it for me, at least.” He stared at the Human God. “I can’t make the decision for the others.”

“Such madness. So be it.”

The great god waved his arm, and the air began to ripple as gold smoke began to rise from Scorpio’s body. The smoke roiled for a few seconds, before coming together to form a little globe the size of a basketball. The Human God stared at it for a moment, and said, “Your arm.”

“Cut off. It’s gone.”

Yes, thought Gaius, reaching out to pat Nexus on its little wooden head, it’s part of my Terminus now.

“I see. Well, no matter.” He closed his eyes. “You called me here for your purpose, to seek justice for your companions. I too, have a declaration to make.”

His golden robes flapped as he turned away from Scorpio, to look directly at the audience. “By January 31st, in three months’ time, I will destroy the Eastern Territories if an arrangement has not been met with Conrah. The Great Divide will vanish half a year from now — our ancient foes, the demons, are coming. I cannot afford to have a factious world. Either the Lifespring compromises, or the Plenum does.”

The crowd broke into an uproar, but as the Human God was speaking through a screen, no one could really do anything. After waiting a second or so, the Human God continued his words, saying, “The other continents have reached their own understandings with my peers. I don’t see why the East can’t.”

Shock coloured Scorpio’s face. “That’s—”

“I care not for your thoughts. Morality…the sanctity of life…these values of mortal construct matter little to me,” said the Human God. “I am the Preserver. My utmost goal is to protect life, at any cost necessary. Therefore, this rondo between the mortal and the divine must end. Or the world will. And as for you…”

Gaius shivered. He had the feeling that the Human God was addressing him directly, for some reason. The great god shook his head, a hint of anger clouding his expressionless face, before vanishing in a flash of light.

[End of Book 5: World’s End, Divines’ Rondo]