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Stars.
Beyond the horizon of the wasteland, countless stars floated in the darkness that contrasted with it.
Each one shone brilliantly—so dazzling that it could almost blind someone—but I knew the truth.
'Those aren't just stars.'
It wasn't difficult to figure out the reason I had been brought here.
The necklace shown by Cardinal Oculus.
I didn't know exactly what kind of artifact it was, but it was obvious that it was one of the symbols of the Church of Morte that had guided me here before.
The Church of Morte and the Marcus lineage.
What on earth had happened between them for such a peculiar artifact—one that only reacted to the Marcus lineage—to be in the hands of the Church?
Swish...
Unfortunately, my thoughts didn't continue for long.
The universe spread beyond the wasteland.
There, among the countless stars, something began to change.
KUGUGUGU───!
The stars cracked all at once.
And from between those fractures, countless gazes began to look down on me.
It was a terrifying sight—but for me, it had become a familiar scene.
"Still as flashy as ever, these illusions."
Maybe it's because I've been through this so many times now, but I found myself indifferent even in the face of such a spectacle.
[Descendant of Marcus.]
[Carl.]
The stars gazed upon me.
[We.]
[Have seen.]
[Marcus. Carl.]
[Carl. Marcus.]
[Seen have.]
[You.]
I, too, looked at the stars.
"And what if you have?"
Before, I had no idea what the Watchers were, so I was overly cautious. But now, I feel like I understand them to some extent.
The Church of Morte and the Marcus lineage.
Between them lies a powerful ether adept, known as the Great Spirit.
"Are you the Great Spirit?"
The Great Spirit was said to be an ether adept powerful enough to change the very laws of the world.
If that were true, then even after vanishing, influencing the world to this degree wouldn't be impossible.
Ssshhh...
The gazes on me shifted.
I couldn't say for sure, but it was clear that the name "Great Spirit" I had just uttered had affected them in some way.
[Inside...]
[Was not fitting.]
[Avora.]
Still-spoken gibberish with twisted word orders echoed as the surrounding scenery began to shimmer.
KUGUGUGUGU...!
As if the world were being tainted by illusions, the surroundings began to change.
The vision was so dreamlike—so surreal—that I found myself staring with my mouth agape.
'This is...'
The changing scenery was a place utterly unfamiliar to me, yet somehow strangely familiar.
It couldn't have been a coincidence.
Though many things were different, the place I was now seeing resembled Ark and Mount Noah almost exactly.
'...Is this the past Ark?'
The revealed image of Ark was quite different from what I knew.
The upper walls, previously replaced with shields, were now covered in a dome made of the same thick material as the lower walls, and Mount Noah, facing the Ark, looked nothing like the volcanic mountain I remembered—it was utterly serene.
'...It really was the Ark.'
Even though I already knew it, seeing the massive spaceship-like form of the Ark gave me a strange sense of sentimentality.
Add to that the peaceful scenery of Mount Noah, and it all felt like a picture painted with the very essence of peace.
[Avora]
With the Watcher's voice echoing once more, time within the scenery began to flow rapidly.
Many large and small events occurred between Ark and Noah over what was clearly not a short span.
Though several groups of beasts approached Ark during that time, they quickly lost interest and retreated—or fled in fear after being attacked by Ark.
There was one curious point, however: throughout that long time, no wave had occurred.
'So, there were no waves in the past?'
If so, then what caused the waves to begin?
There had always been many questions about the wave.
Why does the wave occur?
There had been various theories, but the answer was always the same.
Because Ark exists.
Because humans live here.
All of it was premised on the belief that beasts and monsters were enemies of humanity—but perhaps it was time to change that perspective.
'Is the wave not a natural disaster, but a man-made one?'
I still didn't know the answer.
Even as I pondered, time within the scenery kept racing forward.
[Avora]
When had it started?
Gradually, more and more beasts and monsters began to appear near the Ark.
The difference from before was striking—whereas once they had fled in fear of Ark's attacks, now they charged toward it with a crazed obsession, as if possessed by something.
-KAAAHHHHH!
-KYAK! KAAK!
At first, it was manageable.
Ark, still intact, withstood most of their attacks, and its internal defense systems were more than enough to repel them.
But everything has its limit.
The number of beasts and monsters began to swell like a rolling snowball, eventually growing into what could only be called a wave.
A phenomenon never seen before was beginning to take place.
'...The wave.'
From that moment, even Ark's structure began to change.
The upper dome-like armor, once spaceship-like, began falling away piece by piece under attack, and on top of it, troops were deployed as though defending castle walls.
The age of war had begun.
Many people died.
And even more beasts and monsters died.
Yet, from who knows where, beasts and monsters continued charging at Ark, driven by some irrational, blind fury.
Beasts and monsters are beings governed by instinct.
The most primal instinct of all life is survival—but for some reason, they ignored even that, throwing themselves at Ark endlessly.
In the wild, no matter how powerful a predator may be, it doesn't fight recklessly.
A hunt is a life-or-death struggle—if it fails or gets counterattacked, it could mean death.
So why?
Why do beasts and monsters hurl themselves at Ark with such blind rage?
Perhaps... this very act was itself a primal instinct for survival among beasts and monsters.
[Avora]
My questions didn't last long.
The scenery changed rapidly again, and the entire world turned red.
'...Noah?'
Just moments ago, Noah had been quiet—but now it spewed flames and scattered furious destruction.
Volcanic ash from Noah blotted out the sunlight and shrouded the world in darkness. The lava it spewed turned the land into a death zone, and the volcanic rocks it hurled scattered annihilation across the earth.
If one were to depict the very concept of destruction, this would be the scene.
But that wasn't all.
Something far more disturbing was happening above Noah, making its eruption seem minor in comparison.
[Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts. Hurts.]
[I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back. I want to go back.]
[I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home.]
[Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't. Don't.]
Above Noah, an enormous ether wave gathered and ran wild.
It was so intense that even the screaming forms of the ether were visible to the naked eye.
'The ether is going berserk.'
Ether, by its nature, is difficult to see with the naked eye.
Even Esther, who reached beyond classification into the ghost-class, found it hard to manifest visible ether.
And yet, the massive entity before me was clearly ether—visible to the naked eye.
That alone was despairing enough.
But then, from the sky above, as if mocking everything—the emergence of a colossal darkness plunged all into despair.
'That... can't be...'
I knew what it was.
Classless dragon-class—Ankelenth.
The living destruction, hailed as the apex of all life, revealed itself above Ark.
'...So that's the scene Lania spoke of.'
Lania had said that what she saw were merely fragmented glimpses.
「"Back in those crude and barbaric days. Ominous black smoke filled the sky, and lightning constantly flashed within it. The ground trembled with thunderous roars, and the earth wailed in agony. At the mouth of a giant volcano, living lava roared and surged, spitting crimson smoke and flames."」
「"Heavy clouds blanketed the sky, then dropped as raindrops, and the world before me was nothing like the peaceful place it once had been. From beyond the horizon came harsh wails, and the land began to crack with unease."」
「"In that chaos, a dragon awoke from deep slumber and roared toward the sky. Its eyes glowed crimson, piercing the darkness far and wide. As the dragon ascended into the air, a great storm arose, lightning split the sky, thunder boomed, and towering flames were born. Those flames, like a living force, devoured everything, creating a giant fiery vortex as they howled."」
「"Screams of pain echoed everywhere, and the survivors fled desperately for their lives. But the only world left to run to was already ending, and flames consumed hope itself, leaving behind only ashes."」
And I was certain.
What I was now seeing—this was the very landscape that Lania had described.
'...So, the world really was ending.'
Anyone witnessing such a scene would have no choice but to think of the apocalypse.
No—it wasn't just a visual impression. If ether waves of this magnitude were really going berserk, then it wouldn't be strange for everything to end.
-GRRRROOOOOAAARRR...!
Ankelenth's roar resounded.
It was clearly just an illusion—but my instinct, as a living being, felt terror at the presence of Ankelenth.
Could Ark really have the capacity to overcome all these disasters?
I was doubtful.
[Avora]
And as despair spread across the world, when everything seemed to be ending...
A man appeared in front of Ark.
[Forgiveness... Avora]
Walking through the sky, in utter serenity.
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