Outside the World Tree, under the angelic army's locust-like sweep, every remaining enemy was erased by heavenly fire.
As countless tangible things broke apart, the refined spirit particles turned into billions of streams of light. Like a thousand rivers flowing into the sea, they surged toward the Tower at the End built from twelve pillars of light.
The scene was both illusory and real, so dangerous, yet so magnificent.
Like rainbow light shattered into falling candy, like flocks of bleating sheep crossing the night sky, like stardust peeling from a Giant God's hand after it plucked the stars from the heavens...
In that faint radiance, Heaven reflected a green grassland. A silver-haired girl mounted on a warhorse crossed the gentle slope and galloped toward the golden-domed tent beneath the high hill.
Yet the more she ran, the farther away that tent became.
Those familiar faces seemed not to see the king racing toward them at all. They dismantled tents, packed their belongings, loaded their possessions onto wagons, and began a new migration, drifting farther and farther from the girl on horseback.
At the end of the road stood luminous gates rising abruptly from the grassland.
Beyond the gates, water flowed gently, the soil was fertile, and manna filled the land.
This was the Heaven they had pursued. This was the home they had longed for.
The figures of light, having shed their heavy shells, stepped into the hall of the Eternal Sky with happy smiles.
No matter how hard the girl on the grassland tried, no matter how much she urged her horse faster, she could not return to the departing procession.
As the gates of Heaven finally closed and the light went out, the entire grassland sank into a deathly darkness. The girl left behind looked around in confusion, silent and alone.
"Holy! Holy! Holy!
Lord of Hosts! King of Kings! God of Gods!
Your glory fills all the earth, and the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdom of my Lord and the Lord Jehovah!"
Above the sea where Ether tides raged and overflowed, countless angels came from every direction, gathering here and singing hymns of praise.
Within the Tower at the End, the White Giant God turned over in its sleep. Its left eye lowered, and inside that pupil, a slender figure wrapped in a cocoon of light furrowed her brows. As if sensing boundless loneliness and cold, she curled up with her arms around herself, her face pale, her eyelids trembling slightly, as though she had fallen into an eternal nightmare.
Rumble...
The waves of nothingness churned violently across the sea.
The abandoned world trembled without end. Continents broke apart. As far as the eye could see, there was only a pure white ocean. The sky tore open, the sun and moon dimmed, and even the light of the stars vanished into that boundless chaos, leaving no distinction between day and night.
"Majesty, power, authority, and kingdom all belong to You, from before all ages, through all ages, forever and ever! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"
The hymn grew ever more distant and resounding. Heaven descended from the depths of the starry sky and merged with fractured reality.
Everywhere one looked, the world was pure white, clean and flawless.
Boom!
Yet the tide of nothingness, which had been sweeping across the surface unchecked, seemed to slam into a wall of bronze and iron. It shook violently, and the overwhelming waves instantly broke apart and scattered.
Hum!
At the same time, a giant tree seemingly formed from jade and starlight broke through the endless mist and pierced heaven and earth. Its nine luminous branches, containing all things, spread with vibrant life.
In a world of pure white, that giant tree wrapped in starlight stood out like a stain on blank paper, painfully glaring.
Filth!
Impurity!
Blasphemy!
The angels roared in fury, their cold gazes focusing upon it.
...
At the same time, in the Central Court of the World Tree, within the great hall of Avalon Island.
Strange pulses came from every direction.
In the darkness, Samael slowly opened his eyes. His fingers parted slightly, and a luminous model of the blue Earth appeared before his chest. A towering tree with nine branches was taking root in the land, slowly spreading its branches and leaves across the void-like surface.
"What is this..."
Scáthach, standing guard before the door with her arms folded, suddenly looked up as if sensing something. Her gaze turned toward the nine nodes of light and shadow interwoven across the deep-blue sphere, and she fell into thought.
"The world's... rebirth."
Samael spoke slowly, his tone solemn and his gaze deep and distant.
In truth, when Gaia entered dormancy, she had entrusted her remaining authority of the star to Samael, allowing him to control the situation.
Though hope was faint, the Ancient Serpent would never sit back and wait for death. From the moment he took command, he had already begun arranging everything. According to his own vision, he connected Gaia's will to the World Tree and slowly unified and reshaped the Nine Ages of Gods.
While the world outside was being overturned, the Nine Ages of Gods, which existed in parallel through the World Tree and Gaia's will, were also undergoing an extraordinary transformation.
And this process did not require him to oversee every single detail himself.
In a sense, both he and Jehovah were reshaping this planet in different ways.
Now that the World Tree had fully unfolded, it meant, on one hand, that the fusion and reshaping of the Nine Ages of Gods was essentially complete.
On the other hand, it also meant that the expansion of Heaven and the tide of nothingness had already reached the edge of the World Tree.
The decisive battle was about to begin.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just as Samael gazed at the star in his palm, burning meteors dragged long fiery tails behind them and bombarded the World Tree.
In an instant, the world shook violently. Amid thunderous roars, the sky rippled like water, exploding again and again with rings of blazing white wave-like light. The various Ages of Gods trembled along with it.
"Arise, O Lord, and scatter the enemies!"
At that moment, above the pale sea of nothingness, one Gate of Heaven after another opened wide. Billions of radiant beings with blazing white wings sang hymns of praise as they charged toward the world's final barrier.
Crack!
With each roar more violent than the last, the entire World Tree let out trembling sounds under the unbearable weight. The boundaries of the realms held within it seemed to twist and burn. Flecks of light like ashes from the end of days peeled from the swaying branches, drifted away, and were swallowed by the surging waves of nothingness.
One by one, the Divine Spirits, heroes, humans, and even monsters dwelling in this final refuge raised their heads and looked up at the dome above. As the shadow widened, their expressions turned resolute, and they waited silently for the coming of the final judgment.
These birdmen have come at exactly the right time!
Seeing signs of cracking on the World Tree's outer wall, the Ancient Serpent's vertical pupils opened and closed. He immediately curved his fingers and traced one Rune after another, activating the Magecraft array connected to the Nine Ages of Gods. Then he gave a cold, savage smile.
"Defense lines of each Age of Gods, report progress in order!"
At the same time, voices ranging from proud to deep, suppressed to joyous, came one after another through the Magecraft array.
"First Sequence, Absolute Demonic Battlefront Babylonia! Time anchor confirmed! Concept solidification complete!"
"Second Sequence, Radiant Composite Temple, Egypt! Time anchor confirmed! Concept solidification complete!"
"Third Sequence, Cycle of Creation, Death, and Reincarnation, Ancient India! Time anchor confirmed! Concept solidification complete!"
"Fourth Sequence, Sealing of the Four Seas of the End, Oceanus! Time anchor confirmed! Concept solidification complete!"
"Fifth Sequence, Eternal Empire of Madness, Ancient Rome! Time anchor confirmed! Concept solidification complete!"
"Sixth Sequence, Hellish Asura Battlefield, Persia! Time anchor confirmed! Concept solidification complete!"
"Seventh Sequence, Endless Century of Ice and Fire, Scandinavia! Time anchor confirmed! Concept solidification complete!"
"Eighth Sequence, Crystal Tree Sea Valley, Maya! Time anchor confirmed! Concept solidification complete!"
"Ninth Sequence, Huaxia Ninefold Mountains and Rivers, Great Qin! Time anchor confirmed! Concept solidification complete!"
"World Tree synchronization complete. Gaia's will cycle is normal. Everything is ready!"
...
At the same time, within the Golden Hall of Asgard, Odin slowly opened his single eye and spoke quietly.
"Heimdall!"
"As you command, Father God!"
The Guardian God, wearing a horned helmet and a full beard, inserted the longsword in his hand into the groove of the star-ringed platform and turned it with force.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
In an instant, bands of brilliant color fell from the Golden Hall. Above the domes of the various Ages of Gods, wind and cloud shifted, and ring-shaped Great Hollows connecting heaven and earth slowly took form.
The final refuge had actually opened its gates on its own. The angelic legions gathered there looked toward the fertile lands and thriving species beneath the swirling clouds, raised their cross swords high, and swarmed inside.
Attack the heretics and reign over the nations!
Judge with the sword and purify with fire!
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