For something so important, so immense, its destruction wasn’t much to look at. The huge cylinder that connected the Five Lands and the Wildlands had been cleaved into two, but that was it. There wasn’t any all-encompassing explosion, nor was there an expression of divine wrath — its destruction had been as quiet as Gemini’s wave of the grey chopper in his hand.

The chopper itself came apart immediately afterwards, scattering into grey smoke that wormed up into the heavens. Only a small wisp buried itself into Gemini, but the Constellation didn’t really place much hope on it to save his life.

Gemini shook his head, and let out a small sigh. His heart was at peace, even more so than when he was defending Heritage Basestation back then. He had lived a life that shouldn’t belong to a mass murderer like him ever since, enjoying the little things of a relatively normal life. He’d experienced true friendship and love, felt for himself gratitude and understanding by the best people Ark City had to offer.

He sat down on a rock, waiting for the Demon God’s forces to come.

“Do you blame me?”

The howling wind fell silent, and Gemini turned to the grey shadow standing beside the rock he was sitting on. “Why would I? You saved me back then. Allowed me to live for so much longer. Allowed me to see the beauty of life.”

The grey shadow tapped his feet twice. “I must apologise. Like Anren, I have been playing you like a chess piece. But I do not regret doing it. I too have my own to save.”

“I understand.” Gemini smiled. The Constellation’s heart was light, unfettered by any superfluous thoughts. “Just one thing, though.”

“Ask away.”

“Who are you, really?”

“For someone who dedicated the last of his life to atonement, that is indeed a question I’m willing to answer,” Hereward replied. “There are three overarching themes for cultivation on Orb. First, we have mortals, who can be collectively grouped into the Soldier, Squire, and Knight realms. Next up are semi-divinities — Lords, Paragons and Demigods.”

Gemini nodded, although this distinction was something novel to him.

“Gods form the last collective, so named by mortals,” Hereward continued. “Great gods. Ancient gods. By humanity’s words, I am an ancient god, but more importantly, I am the original Orb’s God of Creation.”

“God of Creation?” Gemini’s eyes glazed over slightly. “The original Orb?”

“It’s a very long story,” Hereward replied. “I’ll spare you most of it. But your creation myth is not quite what it seems. The battle between two higher dimensional beings was no different from natural calamities, even for someone like me. When Pabar and Tiadall’s battle finally ended, the people of Orb had all died, their souls forced into a hibernation that would last untold eons. At the same time, I too was on the verge of death. With the last of my power, I intruded upon the process of the false Orb’s creation and incarnated myself into Tiadall’s greatest Bounded Presence.”

“That’s a lot of information within a few sentences,” Gemini replied wryly. “But at least I now understand what your purpose is now.”

“Oh?”

“The inhabitants of the original Orb…your children. You intend to save them. Bring them here.”

“Yes.” Hereward shook his head. “I wish I could tell you more. You are a good listener, Gemini. I wish I could tell you that with your sacrifice, my goal is so much more closer, but…”

The god of creation sighed. “I will just be lying. I am the master of this entire game, yet some pieces are already on the verge of leaving the board. Everything, up until this point, is to prevent that from happening. You staying behind has opened up thousands of brilliant possibilities, each all due to you. But whether my children awaken or not…”

Despite himself, Gemini smiled. “Good luck, and fair fortune be with you.”

Hereward laughed. “This is the first time anyone has wished me good luck. In that case, let me give you my own blessing. May you find peace in your choices.”

Gemini looked at the ancient god squarely. “I already have.”

Those words seemed to trigger something within Orb’s God of Creation.

Hereward’s presence swelled, and power seemed to infuse his next words. “Your choices have led you to this turning point in destiny, one that you conquered brilliantly. For your actions today, all life will sing your praises for millennia to come. You will never be forgotten, even as the seas recede and new life blooms.”

He smiled. “Be at peace, Gemini. Go forth, and struggle with all your might. Sing your homeland song, and let your heart reach hers.”

Gemini nodded heavily.

With that, the grey shadow vanished, leaving no evidence that an ancient god had ever talked to him here.

Over twenty enormous presences appeared a heartbeat later, each of them radiating a power that only Demigods would have. Following them were innumerable Sages and Exemplars, while a huge field of enemies marched over the horizon slowly.

The sea of soldiers marched together in tandem, their collective steps shaking the ground whenever their footsteps landed. Gemini couldn’t help but wonder about the consequences if this many people marched on places like the Brooklyn Bridge, and the random thought made him smile as he prepared for battle.

In a corner of his mind, he could only hope that Exemplar Rilata had long escaped. The foot soldiers alone would be more than enough to wear even Demigods down, and the fact that the Demon God had prepared so many troops for him showed him one thing — they wanted him alive.

If they wanted him dead, a Demigod would be enough. Gemini knew this much, but the only mystery was why they wanted him alive now.

Hereward’s parting words echoed in his head once more, and the Constellation let out a slow sigh. A resplendent cloak of starlight fell around him, while a sword appeared in his right hand. A shield of qi appeared in his left, a small buckler that Gemini had trained in with Degurechaff in the past two years.

The Constellation wasn’t going to wait for the enemy to surround him. Qi flooded through his legs, and with a surge of strength, he kicked off the rock he was sitting on, pulverising it to pieces as he shot towards the demon army.

A bestial howl erupted from his mouth as he dove into the enemy ranks.