Chapter 1234: The Calamity

Prince Angus gazed up at the sky and murmured, "What was that energy...? It felt as though I should bow before it."

Emiline stepped closer, her voice trembling. "Your Highness... is the calamity over?"

Prince Angus shook his head slowly. "I don’t know. But... it should be. There’s no trace of the calamity anymore."

’I hope I’m right.’

Because if it wasn’t,

there would be nothing left to stop it.

They had already given everything.

...

Beneath the ruined royal capital.

"Father! Are you all right?" the Princess of the Everlasting Kingdom cried out.

"I’m fine now." The King replied, his expression filled with confusion. "My injuries... they’ve vanished. I don’t understand what happened."

What had just occurred defied explanation. The entire cavern had collapsed as a power unlike anything they had ever known swept through, erasing every dark apparition in its path.

It was a miracle that they had survived.

More than that, every wound they carried had disappeared.

"I’m so glad you’re safe, Father." The Princess wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. She had truly believed she was about to lose him, just like so many others.

The King pulled her into a tight embrace. "I’m fine. I won’t die, not today."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted over their surroundings.

Though they were buried beneath rubble and shattered stone, grass and small flowers were blooming atop every fragment of debris—life quietly reclaiming the ruins.

...

Somewhere in the world.

Within a secluded, sealed space, a colossal serpent lay coiled in eternal stillness. Suddenly, its eyes opened.

Power leaked from its immense body, causing the entire space to shudder violently.

"So... you are still alive. The Thirteenth Sign." A deep, ancient voice reverberated through the void.

"You even dared to borrow my power. Yet you should know that my power cannot return the dead."

The serpent’s scales ignited with blinding radiance, light piercing through the confined space as if it were nothing more than fragile glass.

"If you wish to restore a life, you must be prepared to stand against the Soul Realm itself."

Its voice grew colder.

"Or you may preserve the memories of the one you seek... and wait until their soul returns through reincarnation."

Cracks spread rapidly across the sealed space.

"Serpent Bearer..."

The massive creature paused as its body tore through the fabric of space, emerging beyond its prison.

"What did you do to provoke such a reaction from the Imperium?"

A low rumble followed.

"Perhaps it is connected to you... or perhaps, it is not."

...

At that moment, higher beings across the world were stirred.

The very fabric of the world trembled, and mana poured into the atmosphere in vast, surging currents.

Gods and Monster Lords alike turned their gazes upward. Even those beyond the reach of the Imperium looked toward the Divine Planet, sensing the disturbance in the skies.

They all felt it.

Something was stirring within the atmosphere.

No one wanted to admit it but they all shared the same dread.

"A reaction from the Imperium...?"

A God-being cloaked in dense energy hovered above the streets, watching the crowd below. His presence was so vast that no mortal could see him unless he allowed it. A true God-rank being, his power separated him from the world like a distant star.

He descended to the center of the city, yet no one could touch, see, or hear him unless he willed it.

"There’s a reaction from the Imperium," he muttered, "but I don’t know what it means. Is it good... or bad?"

A voice sounded behind him.

"Acedia, are you fully awake now?"

The God-being turned. A woman draped in dense bluish energy stood there. Her presence calm, yet heavy with intent.

"Oh, Chlone," Acedia said with a low chuckle. His eyes narrowed as his power surged outward, causing the mortals around him to collapse unconscious. "So you’re here. What are you doing? What are you planning?"

Chlone shook her head. "Planning? I don’t have any plan."

"Don’t play innocent." Acedia’s voice sharpened. "You’re the one who indirectly suggested to the Ruler of Gluttony that the sealed beings should be freed. You didn’t control his subordinates directly as you know better than to risk being discovered by the Ruler of Gluttony. You simply tracked their movements, leaked information slowly, and let his followers find it on their own. You’ve been working behind the scenes, and someone caught your scent."

"I didn’t," Chlone replied calmly.

"Still denying it?" Acedia scoffed. "It doesn’t matter to me anymore. Olympus has already finished dealing with the Titans. Now they’re hunting you. Hades is mobilizing his forces. He will personally make a move outside Olympus."

Chlone’s eyes flickered with mild amusement. "So what will you do with this? Are you going to use it to strike Olympus? Are you going to waste this opportunity?"

"I’m going to waste your so-called opportunity." Acedia’s voice turned cold. "I won’t be your pawn. And you’d better leave now... or I might erase you from this world."

Chlone laughed softly. "Ehe~ this is interesting."

She leaned closer, her tone casual but sharp. "Even if you don’t act, there are others who won’t let this chance pass. The Commandments will move when the time comes."

She paused, then added with a faint smile, "Here’s a piece of news. The Imperium is already taking action. The calamity has begun to invade."

Acedia’s eyes widened.

"The calamity?!" he snapped.

"Yeah." Chlone’s voice remained steady. "Did you forget I’m not from this era? I’ve seen the signs. You’d better prepare yourself. I only wanted to remove the curse binding me."

Her body dissolved into a wisp of smoke, vanishing as quickly as she had appeared. Acedia stared at the spot where she had been. His brow furrowed as he muttered under his breath.

"Calamity... is it the right time? It seems I must fully awaken now. Still... that puny woman is plotting again. Did she complete the Great Goddess of the Night’s fragments? Olympus has already won the war, so she must have failed. She deserves it."

...

Most mortals remained unaware of the disturbance.

Only a few, unusually sensitive beings could feel the shift in the atmosphere of the Imperium, an invisible tremor that crawled through the air like a cold hand.

"Is this a bad omen?"

"What is happening to the Imperium?"

The gods searched for answers. Some suspected the truth, but none were certain enough to speak it aloud.

On an unknown island, a woman wrapped in bandages stared up at the sky.

Her silver hair fell in long waves. Her eyes were a dull grey, and her brown robe was embroidered with crimson threads, ancient symbols stitched into the fabric like warnings.

"So it has come to this point... again."

She muttered, lifting her hand toward the heavens.

"I’ve been waiting for far too long."

She stood, her gaze fixed in the direction of the Giza Continent, as if her eyes could pierce the distance.

"My patience is running out. I don’t want to wait anymore. It has been too long since I last acted. The promise was broken... so I..."

Her words cut off as the atmosphere changed.

A surge of killing intent burst from her body like a storm.

A figure suddenly appeared behind her.

A dwarf, three feet tall, clad in heavy armor. His beard and mustache were thick and wild, his pointed ears protruding from silver curls. He looked every bit the stubborn warrior of old legends.

"Why are you so agitated?" the dwarf asked.

The woman turned her head slowly, her expression calm.

"I’m going to make a move," she said. "If I must, I will turn the entire Giza Continent upside down."

The dwarf’s eyes narrowed. "You’re only acting now after the Ruler of Gluttony fell in the God’s Continent. The Thirteenth Sign appeared again after thousands of years of silence."

"That doesn’t matter to me," she replied. "The calamity is approaching once more... and this is my only chance."

The dwarf let out a low laugh. "I never thought I’d see the Commandment of Patience run out of patience. You are the oldest being among us, can you really do this with that rotting body of yours?"

"I have to," she answered.

The dwarf chuckled again, but the sound held no warmth.

"Then I won’t disturb you. Just don’t get in my way. If the calamity is approaching... is that why the Imperium reacted like this? Very well. I will watch and wait for the opportunity you create."

With that, he vanished into thin air.

"The Commandment of Reticence..."

The woman muttered under her breath before closing her eyes once more.

...

In the heart of the royal capital.

Souta floated in midair, a fragile orb of light hovering above his palm. His breath came in ragged gasps. Blood coated his body, and fresh wounds stained his skin like dark blossoms.

He stared at the light.

This was Saya’s remaining will.

He had managed to salvage the last fragments of her spirit before it vanished completely. Now she lay in a deep slumber, her voice gone from the world.

"I..."

Souta descended slowly, as if his body could no longer bear him. He collapsed to his knees, collapsing under the weight of exhaustion and grief.

A mouthful of blood spilled from his lips.

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