Upon the barren plain, jagged rocks stretched everywhere without the slightest trace of life.
A volcano billowing black smoke stood like a demon's giant claw reaching toward the sky, radiating scorching heat and the pungent scent of sulfur.
Ikaris gazed expressionlessly at the azure horizon where sea met sky. Beneath that boundless ocean slumbered a supreme Celestial, and only a little time remained before It awakened.
"Ikaris, what are you thinking about?"
A woman clad in emerald-green armor walked over, saying with slight concern, "The Emergence is about to begin, but you seem rather uneasy. Can you tell me why?"
"No, I'm fine, Sersi."
Ikaris glanced at the woman and shook his head. "I was just wondering whether Druig succeeded."
"Don't worry, Ikaris. I believe he'll succeed." Another girl stepped forward with a lollipop in her mouth and said calmly, "Druig always keeps his word. Humans can't possibly resist his mind control."
Sersi nodded in agreement upon hearing that. "That's right. Sprite is correct. I also believe Druig can definitely do it."
"I hope so."
Suppressing the unease in his heart, Ikaris gazed at the distant horizon and muttered, "Thena... still hasn't come?"
"Thena..." Sersi's eyes dimmed as she shook her head bitterly. "Perhaps... she has something else to do."
"Hmph, I think she was bewitched by that silver-haired bastard instead!" Sprite bit down on her lollipop, looking like someone frustrated by another's failure to meet expectations as she gritted her teeth. "I really don't know what's so good about that bastard that Thena actually listens to everything he says."
A gloomy look flashed through Ikaris' eyes as he vaguely guessed part of the reason.
It was probably Thena's Mahd Wy'ry that made her instinctively reject the Emergence, which was why she had refused his invitation.
Thena's refusal to return was both unexpected and outside the plan.
Although it was a pity, it would not affect the overall situation.
She was only Thena. The plan could still proceed normally without her, so long as the most important person... Sersi, was here.
"Forget it. It doesn't matter."
A trace of greed surfaced in the depths of Ikaris' eyes before he quickly concealed it. Letting out a breath, he slowly said, "Since Thena doesn't want to come, then let her stay on Earth."
Sersi failed to notice the greed in the man's eyes beside her. Thinking only that he was in low spirits, she stepped forward, wrapped her arm around his, and comforted him. "It's okay, Ikaris. Once we go back, we can start over, can't we?"
"You're right, Sersi."
Ikaris pulled Sersi tightly into his embrace and whispered softly beside her ear, "We'll be together forever."
Sprite clicked her tongue lightly and turned her face away, no longer watching the pair flaunt their affection.
"It's about time."
Releasing Sersi from his embrace, Ikaris took a deep breath and looked toward the distant ocean. "Let's prepare the ritual as quickly as possible and welcome the birth of the Celestial Tiamut."
Sersi and Sprite exchanged glances before nodding firmly. "No problem. We'll prepare the Emergence Ritual right away."
"That damned Haschwalth..." Sprite crushed her lollipop and said resentfully, "If that bastard hadn't interfered, the Celestial would have been born long ago. Why would we even need to perform the Emergence Ritual?"
In truth, the genuine Emergence originally required no assistance from the Eternals.
Once intelligent life reached a sufficient population, the Celestial Tiamut would awaken and be born automatically. That process was known as the "Emergence."
Although the "Emergence Ritual" and the "Emergence" sounded almost identical, they were actually completely different.
If the process of the "Emergence" could be likened to hatching naturally from an egg, then the "Emergence Ritual" was the process of requiring external force to successfully break the shell and be born.
Compared to the naturally occurring "Emergence," the "Emergence Ritual," which relied on external assistance to hatch, would obviously leave the Celestial Tiamut much weaker after birth. It would require an extremely long period of recovery before returning to the peak state of a Celestial.
And the culprit behind all of this was Jugram Haschwalth from seventy years ago.
For some unknown reason, that man had actually found the place where Tiamut was to be born.
A world-shaking battle then erupted between them. They fought until heaven and earth lost their color, and the battle lasted for several days. In the end, Tiamut, who should have been born then, was forcibly suppressed for another full seventy years.
Having prematurely expended the power meant for Its birth, Tiamut had fallen to the point where It required the Eternals' help to hatch from the Celestial egg.
"Stop wasting time."
An unreadable look flashed through Ikaris' eyes as he urged, "Haschwalth could appear at any moment. We need to hurry."
The three of them formed a circle, each holding the others' hands.
A special energy gathered between them as their armor outlined brilliant golden radiance. Guided by an invisible power and will, the three slowly floated into the air while an enormous magic array took shape upon the ground.
"Are you ready?"
Ikaris looked at the two women and asked.
"We're ready." *2
The two women answered without the slightest hesitation, their expressions resolute.
The next moment, a golden beam pierced the earth.
The three poured every bit of energy within their bodies into the great array.
The vast energy surged like a tidal tsunami, continuously battering the fragile crust. Like a golden sword descending from the heavens, it instantly pierced through tens of thousands of meters of mantle, reaching the very depths of Earth's core.
Rumble——
A pillar of golden light suddenly burst through the endless clouds.
Wave after wave of violent air currents swept across the land with unstoppable force, ravaging an area spanning dozens of kilometers. Even hundreds of kilometers away, that pillar of golden light could still be seen clearly.
Rumble...
The volcano erupted, and the earth shook violently.
The three Eternals landed on the ground and exchanged glances, joy appearing upon their pale faces.
Although awakening Tiamut had required them to pour nearly all of their energy into the ritual, leaving their bodies completely drained, the good news was that the Emergence Ritual had succeeded, and the Celestial Tiamut was about to awaken.
"The Emergence Ritual... is finally beginning!" Sersi closed her eyes and felt the pulse of the earth.
From deep within the entire planet, it was as though an enormous heart was beating powerfully, releasing incomparable might as an immense Celestial will slowly awakened.
"Wonderful!" Sprite danced excitedly like a child. "After thousands of years, we can finally go home!"
Turning around, Sersi noticed that Ikaris did not seem nearly as happy as expected, and asked curiously, "The Emergence Ritual has begun. Aren't you happy?"
"No... I'm very happy. I've never been this happy before." Ikaris lowered his head, making it impossible to see his expression.
"We can finally go home!"
With tears in her eyes, Sersi covered her mouth to stop herself from crying aloud.
Like an adult, Sprite wrapped an arm around Sersi and comforted her softly, yet her own eyes were also brimming with tears. After waiting for thousands of years and losing six beloved siblings, their mission was finally about to be completed.
Just as they were immersed in their joy, their chests were suddenly pierced by a tentacle.
The armor's defenses were utterly meaningless. The tentacle, resembling a withered tree vine, effortlessly pierced through their chests. Its tip was coated in thick golden blood as intense pain and weakness swept through their bodies.
The two of them turned around in shock, only to discover that the source of the tentacle was connected directly to Ikaris.
"Wh... why?"
Sersi's eyes widened in disbelief. She could not believe that he had actually attacked her from behind.
"Th-This is... the power... of the Deviants..." Sprite coughed up a mouthful of blood, recognizing the true nature of the tentacle. Her dim eyes were filled with shock. "Why... do you possess... the power of the Deviants?"
"I'm sorry."
Ikaris lowered his eyelids and said coldly and indifferently, "But I need your power, Sersi."