“Fifty-three Lords, eight Paragons…and only one Demigod.” Gemini rubbed his head as he soared through the skies, confused. This was an amazing force, by the standards of the Second Extermination, but did anyone in the Five Lands really think that they could take down the Wildlands with such pathetic numbers?

After all, the Wildlands still had plenty of Demigods to go around. What were they thinking?

Creating a small mask to hide his face, Gemini focused on the small troop in his mind. Under the influence of the black dome, only the Demigod could fly, which was probably why everyone else was complaining as they ran on the ground.

Gemini listened to them grouse for a moment or two, before returning his attention to the matters at hand. Right now, half of the available Demigods were already moving to intercept them. The other half, along with Gemini himself, would stay behind and intercept any intrepid team of Demigods who might have a desire to infiltrate the Wildlands from another route.

The Demon Sovereign clicked his teeth. All this time could be better spent with Lila and Aria, but he had his duty to the demons too. Although the threat of a Third Extermination had been severely diminished, Gemini didn’t dare to relax. He had a feeling that his heart would shatter if the subjects of his protection were systematically killed.

This sentiment was probably the same as what the beastfolk felt back then.

Stopping in mid-air, Gemini closed his eyes and focused on the plan he had drawn up with the Sentinel of Space. He had run through Enduring Peace with Hereward as a final check, and the great god had added his own embellishments to it.

“Hereward. Might I trouble you for a conversation?” Gemini spoke to thin air.

The next few seconds followed in silence, before a grey shadow appeared in front of him. “Of course, brother.”

“Brother…” Gemini repeated that word. “So I am a great god now.”

“Yes. I would have liked to call you ‘son’, since I unintentionally had a hand in your apotheosis, but that is really, really inappropriate,” Hereward replied.

Gemini eyed the shadow, who was quaking with laughter, and said, “It would have been better if you didn’t tell me what your favoured term of address was, though. Now I have to live with that knowledge. Thanks for nothing, I guess.”

At his bitter face, Hereward broke into laughter. “You’re still carrying a grudge?”

“You used me to save the Five Lands,” Gemini replied. “What grudge could I have held? Sure, the North might just be able to crush every single Demigod that popped out of the Crater of Purple Rain, and it had enough Locomotives to wreck the Demon God, but hey, my death was absolutely necessary!”

The grey shadow looked away. “My apologies. But…it’s hard to say for certain. From my assessment at that point in time, the Five Lands wouldn’t have won…purely because the Demon God hadn’t turned insane yet. The Human God’s death was what drove him over the edge — the surge in his strength overwhelmed his rationality.”

“Oh.” It was Gemini’s turn to look away.

Hereward had a point. If the Demon God had exploited his advantages, the way he did when Ark City was under assault, the Five Lands probably wouldn’t have hung on. If the great gods had fought openly on the battlefield, instead of vanishing to outer space, the Five Lands would have taken overwhelming losses.

After all, one side was immortal. The other side wasn’t.

To make matters worse, he could vaguely tell that he, the Demon Sovereign created by both the energies of the Human God and the Demon God, was shackled. The proportion of divinity was heavily imbalanced, which was why Gemini could feel a touch of imperfection within his Divine Will. If they had been balanced, or if the Demon God had refrained from stuffing in too much of his own divinity, the current Demon Sovereign would have a far greater potential.

In gaming terms, his level was fixed. There was no way for him to improve, unless he chose to relinquish significant amounts of the Demon God’s divinity, so much so that the two portions were in balance.

“Destiny is a fickle mistress,” Hereward replied. “I believe you of all people should know that very intimately.”

Gemini thought about his current goal and smiled wryly. “Yes. That is very true.”

“We are our own scriptwriters. Events, both big and small, have their own karmic conclusion. Your story should have ended, but time and again, destiny has deviated from its original course to save you.” He paused. “Perhaps destiny itself needs a counterforce to its original counterweight.”

The Demon Sovereign frowned. “What are you getting at?”

“My understanding of destiny and fate tells me your counterpart should have stopped you and stymied your plans at every turn,” said the Sentinel of Space. “But that has not happened. Your plans are going along smoothly. Too smoothly.”

“My…counterpart?” Gemini asked.

“Yes. A Human Sovereign, for instance. The fact that no such person has appeared has been very surprising to me. I was half-expecting the Human God or those who sent the Phantom Blade to do something about you,” said the Stabiliser. “Time has been rewound, but your counterpart still doesn’t exist. Why?”

For some reason, Gemini thought about that oddball Demigod, who had nearly fought him to a draw. He dismissed the little fellow a second later, since the Sentinel of Space had specified his counterpart as one that would stop his plans over and over.

No such person had appeared so far, however.

“What do you think is happening, then?” Gemini asked.

The Sentinel of Space hesitated. “I…hm. As Orb’s God of Creation, I am capable of seeing almost everything. However, the threads of destiny have begun to diverge. After this peace treaty of yours is ratified, the Five Lands should have descended into their own private war within five years, but…”

“But?”

A chilling smile appeared on Hereward’s face. “But there’s nothing. Destiny ends after this peace treaty is concluded.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with my peace treaty, does it?” Gemini asked, suspicious.

“No. I’m just using it as a chronological reference. Don’t be alarmed at the way I phrased it. However, I am certain that Something is happening in corners I can’t see.” The Sentinel of Space turned to Gemini. “You…might be the counterweight to the upheaval that will soon arrive.”

The grey shadow started to fade away. “Be prepared.”