“Whelp. They’re gone.” Schwarz sighed, returning to his seat in the garden. “Bummer. Why did they have to have a summons when we just reunited not too long ago? Damn it. They should have chosen a more normal identity. Now they need to run stupid errands like this.”

“Well, being a minor noble has its advantages,” Dia replied, thinking about the number of times a minor noble had gained access to the palace. Of course, there were a few spies and fakes here and there, which were hard to detect, but all of them simply wanted to make use of the Lustre Dukedom’s wealth for their own ends.

Now that they had left, though, Dia couldn’t help but wonder if she too should return to the Lustre Dukedom. There was a ceasefire now, after all, and it wasn’t like she was part of the Trial of Aeons.

Before she could ask that question, however, an enormous presence blossomed, and a thunderclap tore through the air. An impossible pillar of blue light hurtled towards the southern horizon, leaving behind massive trails as it flew. Trees shook, and the entire Monsville seemed to sway and shudder as massive shockwaves surged outwards from the lance-like pillar.

Before it could land at its intended target, an enormous projection of a sphere materialised in its path, and the Moon-like projection shook once as the lance embedded itself inside.

The second shockwave that followed was palpable, churning up dirt wherever it went. The silvery skies roiled a moment later, and a massive cylinder of similarly coloured light encased the southern horizon.

A stifling silence fell as rampaging energies of blue, silver and tricoloured light rose to the heavens, forming a solid pillar that encased the entire explosion.

“That’s…in the direction of the Moons, right?” Schwarz whispered.

“Their base camp, yes,” Dia answered, her head still ringing from the opening thunderclap. The pillar, however, had blotted out everything else, but even then, Dia was still dizzy from the sheer presence of this attack alone. She could hear her blood pumping through her ears, her heartbeat taking on an irregular rhythm, and…

A weird feeling in her heart.

Before long, the pillar faded away, and Dia looked at her hands. If the five grand skies hadn’t stepped in at that moment, the entirety of Monsville could have very well been annihilated, not to mention the other small territories that bordered the Moons’ base camp.

Her fingers trembled, and she tripped over her own heels. The others weren’t any better off either — even President Cadenza had fallen over at some point in time, his feet littered with snapped skillsticks. A glowing, extremely thick barrier surrounded Risti, who looked like she had been stunned, and Dia smiled wryly.

“Are you guys alright?” Nero, who was the first to fully recover, asked.

“None of us should be affected,” President Cadenza replied. “That attack was nullified by the heavens. But that’s…not supposed to happen.”

He glanced at Nero, who took out a simple hourglass. A curtain seemed to fall on them as he flipped it once, and President Cadenza nodded. “Thanks, Nero.”

“I’m also interested in hearing your take on the end of the cycle,” Nero replied. “And…the Lord’s not part of this anyway, so we’ll be fine. For now, we can freely break a few rules.”

“Rules, huh?” President Cadenza chuckled. “Alright. Anyway, that attack was not part of the cycle. Only then can the five grand skies intervene.”

Schwarz raised a hand, and the older Cadenza nodded at him. “Go ahead.

“What is this…cycle?” Schwarz asked.

“Destruction and rebirth. The Godsfall. Each of them representing…a battle between the forces of law and chaos, of preservation and entropy,” President Cadenza replied.

Dia twitched.

“A battle?” Schwarz asked.

“…I am not sure of the details myself. But it is a test of civilisation,” President Cadenza replied. “If it’s found wanting, nine-tenths of all life will be wiped away, with only the strongest spared to rebuild. This is the Last Godsfall. The end of the cycle. If we are found wanting once more…our world will be completely destroyed.”

“By? Why?”

“The heavens, presumably.” President Cadenza shook his head. “What does the Black God say, O Holy Son?”

“I…” Nero hesitated. “Largely the same. The end of the cycle. Entropy’s victory, and the Axiom’s will enforced. The end of days, for all eternity.”

Dia didn’t quite understand what this Axiom was, but she had a few guesses.

“Dad,” began Risti, “what’s the Axiom?”

“…Again, it’s probably the five grand skies,” President Cadenza replied. “However, we’re not too sure. I’m of the opinion that this Axiom is something larger than this world. Like…basic principles or laws of existence, if you can visualise what I mean.”

“Can’t you use a visual model?” Risti asked. “Dad? Please?”

“Give me a few days to think about it.” President Cadenza shot a glance at the hourglass. “Not much time’s left. Holy Son Nero, the fact that you used that here…you must have a revelation, right? For us and us only?”

Nero moved a cup to him with some mana, sipped from it and then cleared his throat once more. “My Lord has permitted me to utter one…revelation. In defiance of fate, my Lord has introduced an impossible variable. The Omen that is not the Omen.”

He grimaced. “I have been ordered to utter it here, under His divine inspiration. I know not why, and the Lord is unfathomable as always. I have been planting similar seeds, giving out similar actions and gifts, all under His instructions. Who this is addressed to, I do not know, but…”

He paused, his eyes lingering on President Cadenza. “All to avert the end.”

Dia fought to stop herself from making any odd movements. Were these words directed at her, the Salvation Star? Was this revelation meant to tell her something? What was she meant to know?

She frowned. There was definitely something in the Black God’s actions, and she couldn’t help but think that it was related to that attack on the Moons that just occurred not too long ago. However, she couldn’t even begin to fathom what the Black God wanted to tell her — would it kill for him to be a bit more specific?

Muttering darkly in her heart about cryptic words, she returned to the conversation.

“And the White God…well, we’ll need to find his Holy Daughter if we want to ask him about it,” President Cadenza muttered. “Nonetheless, the fact that the five grand skies could act means that there are factors not from this cycle entering the fray. I presume that they are the survivors of the previous Godsfalls. We must be…careful.”

He let out a breath. “Nero, are you not permitted to enter the Trial of Aeons?”

“No.” The Holy Son of the Black God cast a rueful gaze at Risti’s father. “But you are, right? Or rather…”

“Someone has to stop the cycle from ending,” President Cadenza replied, before turning to the others. “The Trial of Aeons were probably the key mechanism in deciding who gets to be in the ten percent that lives in the previous cycle. That said, it’s also the most redundant one this time, since failure means that we’ll all be dead soon enough.”

He chuckled. “It’s also the fastest way to grow, though. The Trial of Aeons…and its prior equivalents were where mortals became gods.”

Dia glanced at everyone else, who obviously didn’t know as much as she did, before sinking into contemplation. As a tetra-folder, she was far stronger than approximately everyone else in this world, but that was because just about everyone else was a normal person. Not many people had the will to burn their own lifespan in exchange for power, especially to such an extent.

It was better to just stay alive, if she had to be honest. Claud was really enlightened when it came to that.

“I wonder what’s going to happen now,” Farah replied.

“The Moons will probably freak out,” Nero replied. “Ah. The hourglass…a word of warning. Do not speak what we have spoken of within this protected space. Otherwise…death will be swift.”

Dia nodded, along with the others.

“Don’t worry. We’re not stupid, and I am still not sure what you guys are taking about.” Farah replied. “Anyway, I’m a bit worried. That attack happened at the basecamp, right? Did the five grand skies managed to prevent every single bit of damage?”

“I’m sure they did,” President Cadenza replied. “As long as they act within their authority, they are invincible. The same goes for the other divinities…anyway, we should stop talking about this now.”

He turned to the hourglass. The top half was all but empty, and as the last bead of sand fell to the bottom, a piercing crack ran through the air, and the hourglass shattered.

“…That’s it, then.” Nero shook his head. “That hourglass could exclude an area from all influence. It was a one-of-a-kind treasure. And the Lord got me to use it here, when it was also a lifesaving item…He sure is unfathomable.”

“You sound pissed,” Risti noted.

“No, I’m not.” Nero shrugged. “Anyway, I supposed it’s all meant to be this way. Predestined and stuff like that. More importantly, we should prepare ourselves somewhat. The Moons are definitely going to go mad over this attack. The approaching inspections will get…brutal.”

Dia didn’t quite like the sound of that.