Germain's "divine sense" left the New Continent, drifted past the transit base island, and arrived near Boundary Island.
Here, countless small islets dotted the sea, now serving as settlements for humankind.
They shone like scattered starlight across the ocean, orbiting the colossal "moon" that was the Gate of Boundaries.
What many people didn't know was that the pioneers who first opened up this land were none other than Pariston, Saiyu, Muherr, and others—forced to redeem their crimes through labor.
Twelve years had passed, and their debts were finally cleared.
Saiyu and Muherr felt a wave of relief. From this moment onward, they could live freely again, perhaps even rebuild power and status from scratch.
Pariston, however, was different.
He had grown so thin and haggard that one could hardly recognize him as the handsome blond man he once was.
Without a stage upon which to toy with human nature, he found everything dull and meaningless—like a Joker who learned Batman had retired, living each day in numb monotony.
His spirit was nearly dead.
That was, until one day, he received a letter from Ging. After reading it, a spark of light miraculously returned to his eyes.
Newly freed, he didn't even say goodbye to Saiyu, Muherr, or the others. Without a glance back, he left—seeking out his long-lost "toy of excitement."
Saiyu and Muherr could only shake their heads. But in truth, parting this way wasn't so bad.
Within Boundary Island itself, only Morel and Sphinx remained as permanent residents.
The Gatekeeper was dead, and the Guide's curse had been erased by the "God of Hunters." Naturally, they assumed the mantle of the new rulers here.
Sphinx willingly stayed behind, continuing his former duty: testing those who came after. Of course, familiar faces who often traveled here were spared such trials.
As for Morel, he became the new Guide, inheriting control of the spectral vessel known as the "Ferryman's Ghost Ship."
Outside his guiding duties, he could sail it freely, often plunging into the sea, exploring a vast underwater world where few humans could ever hope to venture.
Germain's Divine Sense drifted once more.
From the Island of Boundaries, it moved across the vast ocean to the city buried deep beneath the sea, then further still to the shores of Mobius Lake.
Tracing the shoreline, his Divine Sense swept over the eastern coast—those sacred lands of hope he had visited many times before. Then it passed across the western coast, scarred and broken from years of devastation.
The teleportation points still remained.
Anyone chosen by Germain could use them without paying a price.
As for the little messenger imps bound to lanterns like cursed spirits, they too were finally freed. No longer would they be forced into eternal imprisonment, shackled in light forever.
At last, Germain's consciousness returned to the Gothic fortress where his body sat in silence.
Just then, a voice called out to him.
"Papa?"
Germain slowly opened his eyes. From beyond the palace gates, two figures stepped inside—one tall, one short.
The taller one was Shizuku, rounder in build but still carrying her familiar calm presence. The smaller one was their daughter, Sharna, a slightly younger mirror of Shizuku herself.
It was, of course, Sharna who had called to him.
Her face still held the softness of childhood, framed by the bright, lively smile of a twelve-year-old.
"You've come," Germain said gently.
He rose from his seat and crossed the hall, embracing Sharna first, then Shizuku.
It was their unspoken tradition. Every reunion began with a hug.
The touch of the Outer God's influence constantly threatened to erode his humanity, replacing it with divinity little by little.
Germain refused to walk the same path as the Blood Moon.
And the only anchors that could help him resist that pull were his family, his friends, his fellow Hunters…
Their presence reminded him—though he was a god, he was still human.
He would never forget how Don Freecss had sacrificed everything to reclaim the dignity of humankind.
Nor would he forget how the Deep Sea had given up its very self to restore the dignity of a demi-god.
Germain often wondered why the Blood Moon had failed in the past.
And he was determined to learn from that failure.
Beyond the efforts of Germain, "Deep Sea," and the other demigods, there was another critical factor—the Outer God had once shattered the planetary sealing barrier of the "Blood Moon."
But why did the Outer God do such a thing?
Germain could not help but recall his own origins.
And then, it struck him—he, the other demigods, even the Blood Moon itself—had all overlooked something.
The Outer God didn't particularly care about devouring every living being on a single planet. It didn't even matter to Him when exactly the planet would "mature."
Yes, all the painstaking work and sacrifices of the Blood Moon… meant nothing to the Outer God.
If Germain and the Blood Moon could be said to represent the will of this planet, then the Outer God was the will of an entire universe.
The two simply could not be compared.
Whether or not He could consume one insignificant planet in the vast cosmos… the Outer God likely never cared.
The Blood Moon had overestimated its own importance.
But to run experiments on this planet, to carry out a few playful acts of mischief—those were far more likely. After all, such things cost Him nothing.
The Outer God was like a human who stumbled upon a beehive. Out of curiosity, He might toss a hornet inside, just to see what would happen.
That small, twisted amusement could plunge the entire hive into chaos.
This, of course, was only Germain's own judgment. The true answer… he might never know.
At that moment, Shizuku and Sharna deliberately approached Germain.
For an event of worldwide significance was about to take place—an event that had captured the eyes of the entire world.
Germain, too, turned his attention toward it. With a wave of his hand, a flat projection appeared before Shizuku and Sharna, displaying a live broadcast.
He muted the sound, focusing only on the image of the launch pad—where a massive rocket stood ready for liftoff.
It was the culmination of human ingenuity combined with the resources of the Dark Continent.
And they weren't the only ones watching. Across the connected networks of the Dark Continent, the New World, the Six Continents—Netero, Ging, Bisky, Morel, Knov, and many others were watching the very same broadcast.
Moments later, thick smoke and blazing fire filled the screen.
The rocket began to rise into the sky.
Germain did not grant any "blessing."
This was the first threshold humanity had to cross on its own.
The broadcast shifted back to the host.
But with just a wave of Germain's hand, the image changed instantly to the rocket soaring high into the sky.
Its second-stage ignition, its third-stage ignition, the moments when it shed every burden and plunged alone into the vast darkness of space—all of it unfolded in Germain's vision.
After a long journey, the rocket finally reached its designated orbit.
Germain gently closed his eyes, then opened them again, a smile of relief and satisfaction spreading across his face.
Sharna leapt up in excitement, throwing her arms around Germain's leg, before he lifted her into his embrace.
Shizuku clung to his other arm, resting her head gently on his shoulder.
They both understood how much this moment meant to Germain.
He gazed at the scene for a long while before finally shifting the view back to the live broadcast and restoring the host's voice.
The host's voice cracked with excitement as he cried out:
"We did it! This is humanity's very first artificial satellite! This marks a great step forward in our journey to the cosmos! Congratulations, everyone! Congratulations!"
THE END.