A Dark Omen

Bellatrix and Gloria continued to converse and eventually, they reached the most important topic which was of course the war against Envy. This was where Bellatrix was ultimately met with disappointment.

Gloria stated that whilst she would like to help in dealing with the important threat that was Envy, she was already facing off against a dangerous threat of her own. Obviously, it was the Blazing Ants that Bellatrix had previously ran from.

There was no point in leaving the continent to save the world if Gloria returned back to her continent to find it completely occupied by Ants - or so she said. Bellatrix had been a little dumbfounded and more than a bit doubtful of the idea of the Ants occupying the whole Continent in the timeframe that it would take to deal with Envy, but the look in Gloria's eyes dispelled her suspicions.

It was the same look that she had given her when they first met. Her gaze shone bright with an intelligence so sheer that it was petrifying. Just looking at those eyes had a mental suppression that wasn't inferior to the effects of aura, so when it worked in conjunction with aura the feeling wasn't inferior to being in front of the goddess. Bellatrix found herself unwittingly submitting.

She hadn't known what Gloria was thinking, but she knew that it was probably something she didn't want to investigate.

Nevertheless, Gloria continued on to say that even if she was promised an alliance that would help her eradicate the Ants after defeating Envy, she would not take it. Bellatrix hadn't even thought of that possible trade but Gloria had already found reasons to deny it. She went on to list all the things that could go wrong and it made Bellatrix's head spin.

She further went on to explain the history of the Blazing Ants and how they had exploded in number, inevitably catching the attention of her people. Knowing how critical the threat was, the High Humans began to viciously suppress the growing menace before it could get out of hand, but the situation was tense and very delicate. Something like leaving the continent with her most powerful forces would shatter the balance instantly.

All the things she had built and all the people that she would leave behind would be razed to the ground and replaced with ant nests by the time she was back.

Obviously, Gloria did not have the slightest intent of allowing that to happen, and Bellatrix couldn't help but agree with everything that Gloria said. Her logic was irrefutable. So she could only put her attempt to make an alliance at rest and make half-hearted promises of returning to visit after defeating Envy, before saying her goodbyes and finally leaving the Continent.

The whole reason she had stayed for so long was because she had been healing from the injuries that she had gained in the forest. Gloria had been gracious enough to let her rest and recuperate, even providing her with a tour of her territory, but all things have an end time.

In the end, her mission to seek an alliance with the newly discovered major continent had ended in failure, but at least she had established a good relationship with someone as powerful as Gloria and she believed that it would be very beneficial in the future.

As she flew on her way to report to Gaia, she couldn't help but think about the core message that she had learned on this journey. And that was to never underestimate any race, no matter how weak they may seem.

Anything can happen.

…

*2 Months Later*

[Shore of the West Continent]

Usually, the weather on Eridius was perfect. Blue skies, white clouds, bright sun and warm temperature. This was how the weather on Eridius was 90% of the time and the denizens of the World had taken it for granted. Even on the days that it rained, the sky was still blue and the temperature was rarely ever terrible, so how could they not?

It was for that reason that today's weather was so impactful.

Today's sky was very, very moody. Almost the moodiest they had seen. Wherever you looked, the sky was grey and filled with dense clouds. And they weren't just for show either. Rain poured heavily and relentlessly, filling the land with its bitter smell and sad taste. In addition, accompanying the rain was the uncomfortable and cold assault of hail stones (something that they hadn't seen in many years). Lastly, there was the distinct smell of ozone, the precursor to a thunderous storm.

Judging by how thick the smell was, today's storm would not only be the 4th one in all history, but it would also be the 2nd biggest, and that scared many.

The nature of Planet Eridius was not something that cultivation below the peak could withstand. That was why they couldn't break rocks or trees if they were still attached to the planet. It was also why anyone that was unfortunate enough to get struck by a lightning bolt would also perish without leaving behind a body. Only scorch marks decorating their final resting point will remain.

Nobody wanted to be unlucky.

But that wasn't all. Today's weather wasn't just impactful to the queer, superstitious or easily-frightened, but to everyone. Bad weather was a bad omen. At this point, it was undeniable. Dark things happened on dark days like this and this was the darkest day of all.

The first time they had witnessed a storm, Year 27 (which was also the biggest), the following century was given 3 names because of how bad it was.

The most mundane and most common one was the [Century of Never-ending War] which originated from the Fortissimum Continent, obviously called as such because of many wars that never seemed to end. 

The second name was the [100 Years of Bloodshed] which originated from the West Continent. It described clearly just how damaging and bloody those times were, and it went without saying that most herbivores didn't like this title and opted to stick with the first one.

The last one was simply called the [Lifeless Century]. It caught fame during the meetings between the hegemons and decision makers of the various alliances. They had been discussing their past and found out just how bad Year 27 to 127 was for everyone. At that time, after reminiscing on how terrible those times had been there had been a moment of silence. But then someone suddenly let out a bleak laugh. He then said the following infamous words that no one would ever forget.

'The days after that storm were so… Lifeless.' These words were spoken by Raiko, a Beast Emperor from the Fortissimum Continent.

It was a terrible thing to think about, considering just how important and weighted this day was. Everyone had known that what they were about to do would be so big that it would change the World, and they had also known that it would be extremely dangerous. But they had held hopes in their leaders, hoping that those powerful figures would block away most of the danger.

Alas, when the first drops of rain had splattered against their heads, it had been like a profound statement that everybody could hear but nobody could deny. As such, on this eventful day, nobody was excited. Nobody was happy. Everyone was afraid.

Suffering and sorrow was looming beyond the horizon and nobody could escape. They could only do their best to survive.