The whole thing about defeating an enemy army with a small speech felt surreal, but unfortunately, Gemini could only make do with holding off the enemy for now. Although attacking was indeed a viable option, Gemini knew that some enemies would still get through.

Given their state, however, any loss was too much to bear.

The surging emotions in his heart faded slightly as Gemini mobilised the divinity within him. With another mighty effort, a giant barrier, one that dwarfed the ones the Five Lands had used earlier, unfolded in front of the charging spectres, and the Demon Sovereign winced as their mad, surging wills slammed into his own.

He glanced at the remaining infantry troops, which was now less than a third of their original number. Most of them looked like they came from the Eastern Territories. The others were soldiers of the Western Holdings or from the Southern Assembly, soldiers that had somehow managed to withstand the beguilement of the Abyss Sovereign.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Thasvia muttered.

Gemini didn’t need a clarification to know what she was referring to. “Yeah. He shattered their wills. An enemy who knows the hearts of people is the worst enemy. With a single speech, he tore down the empty ideals of our low-level combatants, tilting the scales even further. As it is now, we cannot even launch an attack on the enemy.”

He paused. “The Abyss Sovereign’s won.”

“You’re right,” said Thasvia. “We cannot launch a conventional attack on the enemy.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Precisely what I meant,” said Thasvia. “We still have one last way, and that’s to gather every single semi-divinity and pierce through the enemy armies.”

“You’re insane,” Gemini replied.

“But that’s the only way. Allowing the creation of Celestia is, to us, unacceptable,” said Thasvia. “To the likes of me and Liamar, this entire thing is akin to not just putting us at risk, but also a direct attack upon our lives. It attacks our reason for existence directly, weakening our wills and our authority.”

“I didn’t hear about that second bit.”

“I didn’t notice it either,” said Thasvia. “Only when Celestia’s shadow appeared did I feel the weakening of my authorities over the domain of wind and air. I do not know whether it is permanent, but it is a very distressing feeling. Hereward must have felt the same too, if nothing else.”

Gemini winced as another wave of attacks slammed into his barrier. This time, he could sense a wisp of the Abyss in those attacks, forcing him to cease his attempts at reinforcing the barrier. “So…not much of a choice for you.”

“Yes,” Thasvia replied. “And—”

A blinding grey light sliced through the enormous barrier Gemini had called forth, and pieces of energy began to fall part. Fortunately, the Locomotives had picked up the last of the troops, and the giant hulks began to fire on the charging spectres. At the same time, Ark City lit up brilliantly, and over thirty sigils appeared in the direction of the general retreat to form a giant channel.

The Divine Kingdoms floated into the giant channel, and with a movement that reminded Gemini of the Mass Driver back then, began to accelerate, hurling itself towards the southern horizon with a chilling speed.

At that sight, the Locomotives began to spread themselves out, and the spectres renewed their attack with a frenzied fervour.

Before Gemini and Thasvia could make a move to help, a piercing, icy presence surged into Gemini’s veins, and divinity glittered around him and Thasvia. The spectres lunged past their frozen selves, showing no hostility whatsoever as they pursued their true quarry.

A rift opened up a moment later, and a young man walked out of it. Clad in a simple black cloak, the Abyss Sovereign looked miles apart from his earlier appearance, and only the suffocating presence that he brought along hinted at his true nature.

Gemini stared at him for a moment, ascertained that the young man didn’t show up for a fight, and then shook his head slowly. “So, it’s really you.”

“Yes, it’s me.” The Abyss Sovereign smiled. “Your words were enlightening. For that, I thank you.”

The Demon Sovereign didn’t know what to say to that.

“Do you intend to kill us here?” Thasvia asked, her words measured and solemn. The glint in her eyes and the swirling emerald lights around her told a different story, however. “Or are you telling us to submit?”

“Maybe. But your hostility is, to be reasonable, unwarranted to begin with. Why are you opposing me?”

“You pose a risk to the world.”

“Negligible risk,” the Abyss Sovereign replied slowly. “I have been very careful in dictating this war, like a certain counterpart of mine. Death is not the end, and I have protected the minds of the people. Everything I do is in accordance with the flow of destiny. There is no risk. And even if there is…”

He took out a small wooden cube. “I possess this thing. I trust that you recognise it?”

Gemini twitched at the sight of the little thing, even as Thasvia glanced at it.

“The Severing Cube.” Gemini took a deep breath. “Why do you have it?”

“I picked it up from a random passer-by long ago,” the Abyss Sovereign replied.

Gemini glared at the Abyss Sovereign, annoyed by his perfunctory answer. There was no way anyone could pick up what essentially was a one-use Zeroth Armament that belonged to the Sentinel of Space from a random passer-by, but once again, he was reluctant to call the Abyss Sovereign’s bluff. The enemy wasn’t showing any hostility, to begin with and more importantly, their allies hadn’t quite retreated yet.

“So? What are you here?” Gemini asked, forcing himself to ask the main question instead. “Are you still conducting your assessment? Waiting for the Five Lands to show you their resolve?”

The black-robed young man glanced at him. “Interesting. You picked up on it.”

“Hard not to, the way you stopped us from interfering.” Green light whirled around Thasvia. “Now, with that out of the way…why are you here? Are we going to fight?”

“No. Not yet, anyway.” The Abyss Sovereign glanced at the retreating troops, but he made no move to pursue. “A pity that you two had to skew my assessment. But again, in Orb, only the intentions and desires of the strong matter.”

Gemini shuddered. The emptiness in that last sentence was so personal that he couldn’t easily dismiss that utterance.

“You—"

Shaking his head slowly, the Abyss Sovereign waved his hand in a dismissive manner, cutting Thasvia’s words off. At the same time, an immense force wrapped around the two of them, forcing the divinity around them back into their bodies. “Do convey my message to the survivors. I will await the mightiest of the Five Lands in the Cradle of Creation, on the highest floor. If they make it past today, that is.”

Gemini tried to struggle, but there was something about these bindings that shackled his powers.

“Be at ease. You will just need to expend some effort to break those bindings.” Shadows flared around the black-robed young man. “And if I wanted to kill you, neither of you would be standing here now.”

A black rip appeared in front of him. “Let us meet again, great gods of Orb. Preferably in better times, when all is well.”

He glanced at the vast river of white orbs streaming into the shadowy form of Celestia, and then stepped into the swirling darkness.