Shattered

"I think if Lucien's situation has proven anything, it's that the world is going to become more and more chaotic as the Apocalypse approaches, to the point where even we might end up finding ourselves powerless." Amanises declared. "So I suggest that we nullify the contract we signed at the end of the fourth epoch."

"Nullifying the contract?"

A ripple of uncertainty spread throughout the Gods, as they contemplated her suggestion.

The contract was the agreement signed between the Gods that forbade them from descending into the world with their true bodies. The biggest reason behind it was the amount of devastation wrought on the world by the end of the War of the Four Emperors.

Contrary to common belief among high-sequence beyonders of this era, the War of the Four Emperors was fought by all the Gods, rather than just the Four Emperors.

The middle to end of the fourth epoch was a truly chaotic time, with Gods frequently changing alliances and attacking one another. The War of the Gods was all too common back then, erupting every now and then, but most of it produced no victor; the havoc and devastation caused by all of it, though, were unimaginable.

The Gods were powerful, almost too powerful; in essence, they were abstract beings. Their mere presence could stir the concepts they embody, so even if they had complete control over their authorities, there would always be collateral damage in between their battles.

So, by the end of the War of Four Emperors, the planet was scarred, and it was only made worse when Death fell, which would have actually destroyed the world if not for the support of the Seven Gods, but his demise still caused the formation of the berserk sea that separated the Northern and Southern Continents.

All in all, by the end of the fourth epoch, human civilization was on the brink of ruin. It could no longer bear another war of gods, so the Seven Gods put aside their differences and broke bread with each other.

First, they sealed the True Creator in the Forsaken Land of Gods, considering that his unstable and fallen nature would worsen the situation of the world, though the true reason was that he was too powerful to be left completely free.

Then they formalised their alliance by signing a contract that prohibited them from descending into the world with their true bodies. By doing this, they sought to give the world time to heal its wounds, which it desperately needed, while also allowing it to grow and prosper without their direct interference.

The gods had honoured the contract impartially since the beginning of the fifth epoch, and as the centuries passed, the earth had healed and civilization had grown prosperously, regaining its lost splendour. But in light of the current situation, Amanises urged that they nullify it.

Amanises continued, seeing through their reservations. "I understand your doubts and concerns; if we revoke the contract and descend into the world, everything will change, but the current situation is more than enough to tell us that we can no longer simply sit here until the situation devolves beyond our control, for example, like now."

The Evernight Goddess then pointed at the picture of Lucien. "The existence of Lucien is riddled with mysteries and unknowns; we can make all the assumptions we want about him, but in the end, something is going to be left out, and that alone has the potential to push us all into a disadvantageous position if we aren't able to react to it immediately." She trailed her eyes over all of them and then finished resoundingly.

"We must act."

Those three words rang out in the hall, shattering the uncertainty of the Gods. Though they understood why Amanises was so steadfast in pressing her suggestion because Lucien ultimately affected her path more than others, they could still see the truth and reason behind her words.

Aucuses, as the God of Contracts, finally spoke up sharply. "Amanises, your proposal still does not address the issue of barrier. Any of our descents into the world has the potential to weaken and worsen the barrier…." he trailed off, turning everyone's attention back to Amanises.

"And that's why." Amanises adressed, "We shall only descend into the world when the situation completely demands our presence." She met the gazes of everyone and found no opposition. "So I think that finalises it…?"

"Yes." Herabergen nodded. "But before we vote on this, there is still something that needs to be addressed."

"What is it?" Amanises prompted ethereally, reclining in her seat.

"George Augustus III." Herabergen revealed.

Leodero frowned in distaste. "Why are you bringing him up now?"

"Come on, Leodero." Herabergen said. "You know why."

Leodero grunted. He knew, alright—the need for a Black Emperor in the world had increased with the impending war, because it would be fought between the Northern and Southern Continents, and there was an unspoken fact that Lucien was probably aiming to become Death, and his chances of success were high with Adam supporting him.

Without direct intervention from the gods, the Northern Continent was bound to lose one way or another against both of them, and this could not happen because it would affect all of their anchors, so there was a need for someone to lead the war to their victory in their place, and for this position, who else was more suitable than the Black Emperor?

Nevertheless, Leodero wasn't having any of it. "If history has proven anything," he retorted to Herabergen. "Then emperors only spell doom. Altisa and Trunsoest betrayed us. Solomon suppressed us. And Salinger took it a step further, trying to destroy everything with his madness."

"On this, I agree with Leodero." Aucuses concurred. "Leaving aside past examples, consider the most recent one—Roselle Gustav—and think whether it is a good idea to support an Emperor once again."

Herabergen, on the other hand, persisted objectively. "However, there was a need for a Black Emperor to be born before the Apocalypse, and that need has only grown with the current developments."

"How about this?" Amanises suggested a middle ground. "We will only provide indirect support to George Augustus III; whether he can ascend to become the Black Emperor is entirely dependent on his ability. If he can't even do this, he's not fit to lead our nations in the coming world war against the southern continent."

"If we go through with this, Loen is going to change…" Leodero grimaced.

"Yes." Amanises nodded. "An emperor needs an empire, after all."

Leodero merely grunted, shifting in his seat.

"So, any objections?" Amanises addressed everyone and was met with an approving silence; even Leodero stayed silent, though his annoyance was written all over his face. "Then that's decided; when the time comes, we shall give our indirect support to George Augustus III."

"Now, let's get back to the contract." The Evernight Goddess prompted. "Aucuses."

The Eternal Blazing Sun flicked his fingers. Above their table, a golden contract materialised in the brilliance of the sun, carrying the signatures of the seven gods.

"Let's begin." Amanises called for the vote ethereally. "All for nullifying the contract."

Amanises, Leodero, Aucuses, Herabergen, Lilith, Badheil, and Artisan—all of them raised their hands unanimously in the epochal moment.

As each of the gods voted in favour, the signatures on the golden contract dimmed, and the power within them dispersed into nothingness. And from these, cracks began to emerge and spread throughout the contract until it could no longer hold itself together.

The golden contract of the gods shattered into particles of light, falling slowly on the table under the gazes of all.

Amanises immediately heard the terrifying roar pounding against her ears. And she felt anarchy, raw chaos brought about by her action, spreading throughout Destiny. But she took it all with serenity, unaffected and unperturbed.

"The change of times has begun." The Evernight Goddess proclaimed.

——————

Amanises remained in her seat even after the epochal gathering of the gods ended, gazing at the image of Lucien that still floated above the silver table in serene silence.

It would be a lie to say she didn't feel enraged when Lucien broke the trend of the times. With that, he had effectively wrecked all of her plans to obtain the uniqueness of the Death.

But not all was lost; she retained Azik in her palm. She could still make an effort to discover the uniqueness of death through him, which would completely end the path of Lucien.

But she wasn't going to do that; she wasn't even going to stop Lucien, at least not right away, for when she pried into his fate, she discovered something—something that even Herabergen hadn't noticed.

Suddenly, right beside the image of Lucien, another image emerged under the crimson brilliance, revealing the image of a young man with black hair, brown eyes, an average-looking face, and a deep outline.

Klein Moretti!

Amanises gazed at the images of Lucien and Klein together, her discovery flashing through her mind:

Their fates were similar.

And the Evernight Goddess smiled.