Can we dig out [player name]?
Found you. Here, take my hand.
A wave of dizziness washes over you. The world around you is dark, reeking of blood, and littered with severed limbs...
Good, I've got you.
Still a bit out of it. Give me a hand—let's do the pulling out together.
Crack—
With Wanshi's help, you crawl out of the overturned train. Light stabs into your eyes like needles, and you squint for a long while to adjust before finally making out the Sanctuary looming close ahead.
The pristine white steps look like gnawed bones, with the train wreckage wedged halfway up the staircase. Everything gleams with cold light in the harsh glare.
Witch Haida's magic proved more powerful than expected. It caused the train to go haywire halfway and knocked you out cold in the crash.
"Death" called for an emergency landing, while she detached the front car before impact with the Sanctuary and went straight for the Archangel.
She dragged the Archangel down with her as they plummeted to the ground. The flood swept away all the angels, but Witch Haida is nowhere to be found. That's what happened just now.
And the last explosion that "Death" triggered... The Archangel is gone. That much I can sense.
...If my senses serve me correctly, it is indeed "dead." But if that's the case, then we have another problem.
As he speaks, Wanshi looks up at the sky wrapped in blazing light.
Right, the Archangel's death hasn't broken the eternal daylight.
Didn't "War" mention a Plan B before? If killing the Archangel doesn't work, then we wipe out every last angel.
Plus, we haven't checked out that big guy up there yet.
She raises an eyebrow and looks toward the top of the Sanctuary. The Cardinal Deity's mangled remains float within streams of light, with nothing but empty space below the chest cavity and golden cables dangling like blood vessels.
There might be angels lying in ambush nearby. I'll take point—stay close behind me.
After you.
With each step you take, the wounds across your body throb with dull pain, except this feels more like rest compared to all the battles you've been through.
...
...
The three ascend the steps, their boots striking the marble with echoes that ring through the emptiness like the ticks of a countdown clock.
They carry on in silence, wounds throbbing with every step, yet the pain pales against the heavy uncertainty weighing on their hearts.
We're here.
All these gates between the stone pillars...
From the outside, this place appears to be nothing more than a massive platform holding the Cardinal Deity's remains, but only by stepping inside can one discover that the spaces between the edge pillars are filled with magnificent, twisted orbs of light, within which bizarre and otherworldly visions flicker endlessly.
Gigantic golden trees standing in bitter winter, alien planets ravaged by crimson catastrophe... countless unfamiliar worlds spread out before your eyes.
How fascinating. The legends about Angels and the Supreme Heaven being creatures from other "planes" are actually true.
Look—like that one there.
Seeing where Lilith is pointing, you immediately notice one of the gateways positioned slightly higher up, within which you faintly make out someone who looks very much like yourself—locked in a fight against angels.
Hmm... looks like there's someone else there, too...?
Peeper—die!
Perish!
I knew things wouldn't stay this quiet.
Gaahhh!!
Just as Lilith draws near, the stargate suddenly ripples with hazy distortions. A split second after, an angel bursts through. "Famine" quickly steps away and strikes it down with her Moon Umbrella.
Flesh! Slaughter!
Defiler!
Every stargate trembles and shudders as countless angels pour forth in endless streams from hundreds of dimensional planes.
Tch, never thought we'd have to fight this many battles in a single day.
...Stay close to me, Bloodsworn, "Famine."
Can your barrier hold against all of them?
Running now would only make you vulnerable—surviving this assault is what matters. Under Lilith's cover, you keep up suppressive fire as you charge toward Wanshi at breakneck speed.
Flesh, flesh!
Stay the hell away!
Wanshi raises his lantern high, and silvery-white streams of light instantly spread into an invisible barrier. Angels that crash into it burst into flames, their agonized screams piercing the air.
Arghhh!
The energy barrier sweeps away everything in its path as surging magical power transforms into flames, consuming the flesh of countless angels.
...Gray Raven, please bear with me for a moment.
Once the energy expands to its full range, Wanshi maintains his lantern-raised stance and steps forward. Then, he passes through the barrier and leaves Lilith behind as he makes his way toward the Cardinal Deity.
I'm sorry, Gray Raven. I lied to you.
That day... I actually saw it. I saw a way to save this world and restore the Dawn Laws.
The angels try to give chase, but the barrier not only blocks their advance—it completely seals off the inside from the outside.
The instant you touch the light wall, violent electrical currents crackle and spark, hurling your body back several meters.
Commandant!
The angels notice Wanshi's advance and turn their attacks on him, except the scattered points of light intercept all their attacks, causing them to explode in all directions.
Then, Wanshi walks beneath the Cardinal Deity's remains and extends his hand to catch the streams of light flowing from that massive corpse.
I'll merge with these remains and become a Cardinal Deity myself once more. If I can control that power, I can bring night back to the human world, and that's when the Scorched Borderland can finally see a true tomorrow.
...
His brief pause says it all.
Plague, don't try to accept any temptation from the Sanctuary! You're not the first person to attempt this!
But to end this catastrophe, it's our only option right now.
The angels' shrieks pierce the heavens as the surrounding light walls gradually fade under their suicidal assault.
If I don't succeed... then do what you have to do before I hurt you, Gray Raven.
The moment the angels break through the Light Wall, Wanshi gathers the light around him as his golden eyes begin to blaze.
He can feel his soul beginning to transform. He's now able to seal the turbulent stargates with nothing more than a glance.
Have you seen it?
I have.
That's enough, which is why I'm back.
The conversation with an old friend—with another version of yourself—proves unexpectedly simple. A lot of the things you didn't understand before now make sense to you. Your only concern now, though, would be...
...would be the Bloodsworn with whom you have formed a Blood Covenant.
Wanshi tries but fails to respond. Once the fusion begins, his senses gradually fade away.
His broken body and soul draw together as invisible forces lift him skyward. With the shell that was once his body about to dissolve, the Cardinal Deity will return to this Sanctuary bearing complete laws.
You should take one more look at the mortal world if you still have regrets.
—!
A razor-sharp strike targets the stream of light connecting "Plague" to the Cardinal Deity's remains. A split second after, the severed light gushes forth like blood, and Wanshi—immobilized by the fusion—plummets from the sky and crashes hard into the ground.
Thank God I made it in time.
Get me that lantern first.
Feathers drift through the air as the woman stands gracefully amid the blazing light.
And you are...
Hi, "Famine," and... Gray Raven.
The moment Lilith sees Wanshi under attack, she launches her own assault without a moment's hesitation, swift as an arrow loosed from its bow.
The proprietor from the Mysterious Tavern...? Just who are you really?
You talk too much. Please take a little rest, just like your friend over there.
Hnngg...
Like a crushing blow from a blunt weapon, Lilith staggers from the scepter's strike and, looking as though her very nerves have been severed and her magical flow has been cut short, she collapses.
Everything happens too quickly—both Horsemen have been struck down by the woman in the blink of an eye. Then she flashes an almost wicked smile and turns her gaze this way.
Gray Raven.
"Plague's" lantern is right here—do it now, Nirvatia!
I want you to witness it with me—the rebirth of the Scorched Borderland.
With that, Nirvatia raises Wanshi's lantern. The flickering flame within gradually shifts to a crimson-purple hue as the soul trapped inside begins to let out piercing screams.
Let wailing be your call, let resentment be your guide—gather now, desolate souls.
The lantern's flame suddenly blazes brighter as the points of light around it fade away. Countless phantoms drift down through the clouds—lost souls with nowhere to turn with the Laws crumbled, now drawn to this sacred Sanctuary by Nirvatia's incantation.
More and more phantoms gather, their endless hatred so intense that one only needs to be close enough to them to feel the malice radiating from within.
With the Cardinal Deity's remains as my sacrifice, I shatter the prison of the vile angels. Descend upon this place now!
—Nyarlathotep, the Great Lord of Death!
The moment that dreadful name springs from her lips, the phantoms surge forward like a hurricane and batter the Cardinal Deity's remains relentlessly.
Under the violent assault, cracks split through the remains, and impossible flesh begins to emerge—pulsing like beating hearts across the deity's body and obscuring its divine visage.
We did it.
In mere moments, the flesh engulfs part of the Cardinal Deity's body, even reconstructing within the remains something akin to—though utterly profane in nature—a "Divine Core."
From this moment forth, what emanates from the sacred remains is no longer brilliant holy light, but a bone-chilling cold.
...Hmph, hahaha!
Mad laughter, twisted and abyssal, echoes from within the Lord of Death's flesh, reminiscent of whispers rising from the very depths of its soul.
You were oh-so righteous and so pure—only to have died by human hands and become a wretched corpse! And yet you're perfect... precisely because of that!
The Cardinal Deity's remains now serve as a vessel for the Lord of Death's unholy flesh. Laughing wildly, the Lord of Death raises a colossal arm skyward, seemingly ready to tear into pieces the very heavens.
Now I possess the perfect altar for my resurrection... Holy light, divine faith—in the end, what were they but stepping stones for my return?
Excellent work,
Now... what reward do you seek? New powers beyond mortal ken, or perhaps the glory of ruling over the human realm?
Nyarlathotep, what I desire is already here.
...!
Before the Lord of Death finishes speaking, a flash cuts through the stream of light connecting Wanshi to the deity's remains. In the next instant, the luminous flow erupts like blood as the God's Core splits wide open.
Fury and screams intertwine, plunging the entire space into chaos as the Lord of Death meets his end—a death more agonizing than any mortal soul has ever endured.
So this... is the combined power of the Cardinal Deity and the Lord of Death.
Seemingly guided by something, the energy erupting from the God's Core flows and surges endlessly toward Nirvatia, leaving fresh marks across her body. These powers have already acknowledged her as their new master.
Want to know, Gray Raven?
Save those bullets, Gray Raven.
Through her assassination of the Lord of Death, Nirvatia has claimed the two greatest powers there are. Now, no one seems able to stop her.
Gray Raven, I... want to destroy this world, then witness its rebirth.
The moment you meet Nirvatia's eye, your body freezes, seemingly as though having been stonified. Behind Nirvatia, a thick veil of darkness creeps ever closer across the distant horizon.
Yes, it is Night.
A sorrowful rift slowly tears open, and the night that has been absent from the Scorched Borderland for thirty long years pours forth like a dam burst as it washes over the parched and cracked earth.
Dance, warriors! Kill every last human—leave none alive!!
Iron Army, battle formation! Don't let those demons break through our defenses until the civilians are clear!
Die!!
Get away from me!
Watanabe, wh-what's going on? Why are these demons showing up now with the night? Doesn't Gray Raven have a Demon Lord among their allies?
Not all Demon Lords are our allies! Stay focused!
As night reclaims this parched land, the ground suddenly splits apart and transforms into gateways to hell as lava and demons pour forth together, before anyone can comprehend what's happening.
Without warning, the demons surge forth from hell, bringing fire and fury to the mortal realm. At this critical moment, Watanabe—still recovering from his wounds—intercepts their initial assault and rallies nearby forces into battle.
Hundreds upon hundreds of the Rifts of Chaos tear open simultaneously across the Scorched Borderland, and the Demon Lords, thirsting for human blood and bone, seize their chance and flood into the mortal realm en masse.
Stop struggling! Just die already!!
Damn... cut me some slack already, will ya?
Vera's immortal power kept her alive through the explosion, but the Archangel's dying struggle left her grievously wounded—now she can barely stay upright, using her weapon as a crutch.
Before her stretches a wasteland transformed into hellish terrain, as her fellow demons crawl forth from the lava and steadily close in to surround her.
Ferryman... I see you've sided with humans...
Vera knows that no amount of reasoning can change a demon's mind once it's set on something.
How inconvenient... I made a promise with a certain human...
—Anyone who dares threaten the human world dies by my hand!
She charges into the horde of demons, her spear tip carving arcs of crimson death.
Gods and demons now walk the earth, heaven and hell made manifest in the mortal realm.
Night has completely devoured the sky, hellish rifts sprawl across the earth, and wails blend with roars into a maddening symphony.
The world tumbles from one collapse into the next.
The only response to that desperate cry is a sinister smile. Slowly, Nirvatia walks up to you and cups your face in her hands.
Be patient now. I'll show you everything—
About you, about me, about what happened before.
With her voice, sweet as honey, the world around you fades away, plunging you into darkness.
...Gray Raven.
