The skies above were buzzing with activity, and it wasn’t from the demon Demigods, who had realised that the Five Lands didn’t quite care about the fact that they were taking down the God of Earth’s tombstone. Half of the fiery mountain had been removed or destroyed, and from Gaius’ vantage point, he could see the molten, fiery core, an impediment that the hardworking Demigods were avoiding.

Tens of thousands of soldiers, injured or otherwise, were also looking up, their gazes as scattered as sand in the sea. The sight of over a thousand Guardians taking to the skies had clearly drawn their attention, especially the fact that multiple Paragons and even Demigods were unleashing their presence.

“That’s a lot of people,” Isabelle commented, looking around the place. “Looks like Minister Eventide isn’t the only person to have been spreading this news, is he?”

“I’m not sure what they’re playing at,” Gaius replied, “but they did pique my curiosity. However, we are going to approach the battleground of the great gods. Prepare to run on my signal…never mind. I’ll grab you and flee if anything turns out badly.”

“Looking forward to it,” Isabelle replied, a bright, sunny grin on her face. “Just don’t hug me too tightly.”

“I know, I know.” Gaius rubbed her nose and looked around. “Still, everyone really is interested, eh?”

The disorganised swarm of Knights and semi-divinities began to head off, and the two of them followed suit. Most of the Guardians were moving in small groups, but Gaius stuck to the principle that moving with one’s love was infinitely more enviable than with a small circle of friends, which was why he had a condescending grin on his face.

“Are you trying to show off?” Isabelle asked. “There’s this air of superiority all around you…”

“I am definitely not trying to show off the fact that I have a lovely wife,” Gaius replied, his voice extra-loud for some weird, inexplicable cause. “Besides, it’s a lovely day; I am entitled to my smiles.”

Isabelle rolled her eyes. “Fine, I believe you.”

Exchanging a few more words, the two zipped through the skies, following the horde of Guardians that were charging east. The great gods’ Divine Kingdoms had landed east of the Great Divide, somewhere in the middle of the Never-ending Ocean.

Gaius shivered, and a grey sphere erupted out of his body, only to fade from view a moment later.

“Gaius?” Isabelle asked. “What’s wrong?”

“We just crossed into the Divine Kingdoms of multiple great gods,” Gaius replied. “Wait, that’s not it. The area…of influence, I guess. I’m not sure what the difference is. But we’re close, relatively speaking.”

“The others don’t seem to notice, though.” Isabelle looked behind her, where other Guardians were following in their wake.

“Which is why I don’t think we’re in their Divine Kingdoms yet,” Gaius replied. “There’s a lot of divinity around us, each of them coloured in their own allegiances. If I had to liken it to something…I guess it’s their presence? Just that it’s not thickened and made to press down on us.”

“That’s a very…unclear explanation.”

“I know,” Gaius replied. “Sorry. That’s kinda the best I can do, unless…”

“Wait, are you—”

The world took on a grey hue, which lasted for about a millisecond before Gaius was blinded by a vast array of colours. Light grey, blazing red, verdant green…and a river of pitch. Forcing himself to look straight, Gaius took in the scene all around him. The first three colours were intertwined, and battering against the shadowy sea. He didn’t know how to describe it, but the Abyss Sovereign could tell that both sides were contending for superiority over the local area.

As to why they wanted to do that, Gaius himself was unsure. Before he could take another look, a burning spike of pain slammed through his eyeballs, and the world of grey faded. Clutching his eyes, he reeled back slightly, falling back into Isabelle’s embrace.

“Gaius?!” A soothing chill ran across his eyelids a moment later, and he opened his eyes, just in time to see Isabelle blowing on them. Her hands were stained with blood, but she didn’t make any move to clean them, focusing on his eyes instead.

“I’m alright,” Gaius replied, his eyes stinging. The intense pain had weakened greatly the moment his vision returned to normal, so it was probably an issue of staring at overly-bright lights. “I’m not going to stare at a Divine Kingdom or at the great gods with those eyes though. I get a feeling that I might just turn blind.”

“Use them sparingly, okay?” Isabelle asked, smacking his shoulder lightly. “You scared me!”

“Sorry.” Gaius accepted her little punches without complaint. To be honest, those little punches felt more like a treat than a punishment, but he decided not to say anything about that. “I won’t do that again.”

“You say that all the time, but when have you not done anything that’s dangerous?”

Her rebuttal was swift and on point, so the only thing Gaius could do was to chuckle awkwardly. “I don’t say that all the time, do I? I usually say ‘I’ll be careful’, and that’s all…”

Isabelle thought over his words for a moment. “Oh. True. But you’re not going to use your weird vision thing as and when you please anymore, got it? It’s too dangerous, if you can be blinded.”

“Okay.”

He got a head pat for his trouble.

The mass of Guardians continued to head east. Gaius could also sense thirty-three huge presences in that direction, presences that were only inferior to that of the great gods’ and their Divine Kingdoms. Those were almost certainly the North’s Locomotives, the incredibly huge floating ships that were probably now massive weapons of war.

How would they fare against the Demon God? Or would it be more appropriate to wonder if the Demon God could stand against them? Gaius wasn’t too sure, but it was definitely a question worth pondering on.

Putting on a burst of speed, he held Isabelle’s hand and began to overtake the slower Guardians. “The show has already started, it seems. Let’s hurry up.”