Chapter 291: World Commission Completed
A strange silence fell over the land, as if even the wind had paused to hold its breath.
The psychic shriek of the Abyssal entity's annihilation still seemed to echo in the depths of their souls, a phantom ringing now replaced by the long-lost warmth of sunlight bathing the war-torn landscape. The oppressive, dark purple haze that had smothered the sky was wiped clean by an invisible hand, revealing Natlan's pristine, azure heavens once more. A few wisps of white cloud drifted lazily across the blue, a picture of deep peace.
It was as if the world-ending crisis they had just endured was nothing more than a collective, terrifyingly vivid nightmare.
This quiet did not last.
From the direction of the Holy Fire Arena, a single, tentative cheer broke the stillness—trembling and uncertain, yet carrying the spark of hope. It was like the first pebble tossed into a placid lake, sending ripples of courage outward.
In an instant, that spark ignited a wildfire of emotion across all of Natlan.
"We won... We actually won!"
"The Abyss has been driven back! Natlan is safe!"
"Long live the God of Fire! Long live Natlan!"
Deafening cheers and shouts of pure, unadulterated joy, thick with unshed tears, erupted from every corner of the nation. The sound rose into a tidal wave of elation, sweeping across the land that had just been forged anew in the crucible of war.
Warriors hurled their weapons into the air, the ensuing clatter of metal on stone now the most beautiful music they had ever heard. They threw their arms around each other, pounding their fists against dust-caked breastplates, releasing the pent-up tension of survival and the hard-won euphoria of victory in the most primal way they knew.
Civilians crept out from their hiding places, their faces turned toward the sky. They closed their eyes, letting the gentle light chase away the lingering chill in their bones and the oppressive gloom that had taken root in their hearts. Hot tears streamed down their faces, mingling with brilliant, heartfelt smiles as they greedily drank in the free air, no longer tainted by the foul stench of the Abyss.
Yet, the elation of victory was not the only emotion that painted the scene.
After the initial, dizzying wave of euphoria crested, many people quietly lowered their heads. Some collapsed into the arms of those beside them, weeping openly, while others retreated to secluded corners to mourn in solitude.
They grieved for the family, comrades, and friends lost in the sudden, brutal disaster. The price of this victory had been steep. This joy, purchased with blood and sacrifice, was forever intertwined with a deep sorrow—a heavy, indelible page in the annals of Natlan's history.
Regardless, the Abyssal calamity that had threatened to consume the nation had been, for the moment, repelled. Mavuika, the Pyro Archon, had delivered an devastating blow, one that channeled the strength of her entire people.
Sunlight shone once more. A gentle breeze swept through, carrying away the smoke and fatigue of battle, and with it, the promise of new life and renewed hope. The people desperately needed this moment of respite, this victory, to begin healing their wounds—both of the body and the soul—and to rekindle their faith in the future.
As for the task of completely eradicating the Abyssal threat, that would undoubtedly require a far deeper expedition into the heart of the Night Kingdom—a more arduous and unknown journey. But those were matters for another day, to be planned with care and deliberation.
At this moment, the survivors had earned the right, and the need, to savor the fruits of their hard-fought victory.
At the same time, a system prompt materialized before the eyes of every member of the chat group.
[System Notification: World Commission "Confront the Abyss!" has been completed.]
[Rewards are being calculated...]
[Remaining stay time: 10 system hours.]
Though the words were cold and formatted, they brought an immense sense of relief to the travelers from other worlds. This cross-world support mission had, at last, reached a temporary conclusion.
The clouds of war had, for now, dispersed.
Inside the massive rock fortification, the two protagonists who had just fought a world-shaking battle of giants now faced a situation that was at once realistic, fantastical, and deeply awkward.
Lumine and Stelle stared at each other, and in the reflection of their own colossal pupils, they saw a shared look of bewilderment and helplessness.
"Uh... so the battle is... really over?" Stelle spoke first, her voice a distant thunderclap rumbling across the sky.
She glanced down at her own gigantic palm, a landmass comparable to a small hill, then looked up at the rift Mavuika's final attack had torn in the sky—a gaping wound that led to the cold, dark depths of space. Her tone was laced with uncertainty.
"Yeah, it's over," Lumine confirmed with a nod, feeling the light energy and elemental power that still surged within her, now without a clear purpose or anchor. She gave the sword in her hand—a blade that looked capable of cleaving mountains—a slightly helpless swing. "But it looks like... we haven't gotten our 'curtain call' notice yet?"
This was, indeed, a problem.
Two towering giants stood upon a battlefield they themselves had ravaged into something resembling a meteor impact crater. They formed a stark, almost comical contrast with the cheering, model-sized "little people" celebrating just outside the rock barrier. For a moment, the scene was one of subtle, surreal comedy.
However, this slightly awkward predicament didn't last long.
As if sensing that the "darkness" had temporarily retreated and that its duty was fulfilled, the immense light energy began to recede. This power, born from the hopes of millions of Natlan's people, had granted them their titanic forms, and now, like a tide that had reached its zenith, it began to ebb with a gentle, natural calm.
Lumine and Stelle could clearly feel the colossal power that had filled their limbs and bones flowing away like a trickling stream. Their bodies were rapidly, yet gently, shrinking.
Their perspective lowered at a dizzying pace. The gravel underfoot, which moments ago had been like fine sand, once again became obstacles they had to be careful not to trip over. The giant weapons in their hands, which had seemed capable of stirring the very winds and clouds, simultaneously shrank and solidified, returning to their familiar, original weight and size.
In the space of a few breaths, the two reassuringly immense and utterly shocking figures had vanished.
All that remained were Lumine and Stelle, restored to their normal sizes, standing somewhat solitarily on the battlefield. The ground around them, shattered and scarred beyond recognition by the aftermath of their battle, looked as though it had been bombarded by a celestial weapon. The cracked earth and pulverized rock formations were a silent, powerful proof of the extraordinary scale of the fight that had just taken place.
"Ah... that's it?" Stelle looked down at her hands, which now felt almost delicate by comparison. She clicked her tongue, her voice thick with unfulfilled regret. "I didn't even get enough time to really enjoy it! That feeling of being able to shatter a mountain with a single punch..."
Her mind involuntarily flashed back to the "miserable" experience she'd had when March 7th used the Sheep Talisman to enter her dream. In that dreamscape, she had been utterly powerless, casually toyed with by a giant March. She had been hoping to "bully" someone else this time, to get a little payback, but the opportunity had come and gone far too quickly.
'Guess I'll just have to hope for some insane gacha luck in the future,'she mumbled under her breath,'maybe pull a divine light rod or some other transformation item...'
Silently, she made another entry for "unfinished revenge" in her mental notebook.
But the light energy, upon its departure, did not leave empty-handed. It had left them a gift.
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