"Allow me to introduce myself properly this time. I am the Great One of Earth, a being who has lived upon this world for countless ages, trying to make humanity forget the horrors that befell them."
Frey let out a mocking chuckle upon hearing that.
"I suppose those attempts ended in failure, didn’t they?"
"They did," the Great One admitted without denial.
"I tried. But Earth’s fate became tied to other beings whose destinies far surpassed the limits of my power. You and the Bearer of Light here are perfect examples."
The Great One of Earth was a unique existence.
His powers were extraordinarily strong, yet they were never suited for battle. They were something entirely different.
For countless years, he had aided humanity repeatedly, making them forget many ancient events.
At one point, he had even erased the very concept of Aura from humanity’s memory, turning them into ordinary beings devoid of power.
That peace lasted for a time...
But it ended just as it began, and everything soon returned to the beginning once more, because his power could never suppress the overwhelming destiny surrounding Earth.
"Great One of Earth, I’ll speak plainly."
"If it had been any Great One other than you, I would’ve killed them immediately without hesitation. But you have done too much for this world."
"And both I... and my blue-eyed friend who died for my sake owe you a debt."
Frey paused briefly, his gaze drifting toward the distant sky.
"But sparing your life is one thing. Allowing you to join me is something entirely different."
"The Great Ones cannot defy the Pale Devastation. In other words... if the call comes, you would stab me in the back instantly without even being capable of resisting."
Frey laid out his reasoning clearly, causing the Great One to interrupt him in defense.
"That will never happen. I’m different from the other Great Ones."
"As long as I don’t reveal myself before him, he will never remember me."
"My power is Forgetting. I can deceive any creature with it."
It truly was a terrifying ability.
Its influence extended far beyond the battlefield itself.
But Frey shook his head in refusal.
"That isn’t enough. You underestimate him."
"Something like that would never stop him. And besides... I still don’t know your true motives or intentions."
Their conversation unfolded before Snow and Sieghart, both of whom struggled to fully process everything being said.
"The Pale Devastation... are you talking about the Great One, Odin?" Sieghart asked, recalling the terrifying news that had spread not long ago.
"That name has become famous recently. They say he launched a full assault on Helmond and fought Agaroth head-on evenly."
"And because of that... he immediately rose to first place among the Seven Great Powers, knocking Midir down to second."
Sieghart listed the rankings calmly.
It was worth noting that he himself occupied fifth place.
Odin stood first.
Midir second.
Then Orsted in third, followed by Radagon in fourth and Sieghart himself in fifth.
The witch Rinnes had fallen to sixth after her long inactivity...
And Ember remained seventh and last.
"I doubt he cares about any meaningless ranking or what comes with it," Frey said.
"Odin is a monster on the same level as Agaroth. And he possesses absolute control over all Great Ones."
Then he turned back toward the Great One of Earth.
"If you wish to accompany me, then you’ll provide guarantees... according to conditions that I set myself."
"If you can accept that much, then I have no objection to making use of you."
Frey presented his conditions, and the Great One agreed without hesitation, making it clear that his own goals could only be achieved by following Frey.
The danger of Odin seizing control of him still remained.
But Frey already had his own methods prepared for dealing with that possibility should it occur.
Thus, the Great One obtained what he wanted.
Yet his joining them was merely a secondary matter among several more important topics that still needed discussion.
"This isn’t the right time to discuss these matters," Sieghart said, bringing up the subject everyone had avoided until now.
"This planet... Earth... is no longer fit for life."
"I’m sure you’ve already realized that, Great One of Earth, considering your connection to it."
In response, the Great One nodded solemnly.
"That’s correct... the recent battles and the arrival of the Demon King only accelerated its collapse."
"And soon... all forms of life upon this world will perish entirely."
From the very beginning, Earth had only ever been a fragile little planet.
It had managed to withstand the descent of demons and the wars between the Empire and the Ultras.
But everything changed completely once the War of Darkness began.
Battles capable of destroying entire continents...
The appearance of monsters like Thanatos, the Upper-Ranked Demons, and countless other terrifying existences...
All of it hastened the planet’s death.
And the descent of the Demon King himself...
Had been the final blow.
All those factors together had already pushed the planet to its final breaths.
"If humanity remains here, they too will slowly die."
"So what exactly do you intend to do about them?"
Sieghart asked, shifting his gaze between the Great One of Earth and Frey in turn.
But neither of them answered.
Taking all of humanity with them and folding them into the Shadow Sect had been one possible option.
But Frey seemed entirely opposed to the idea.
What he intended to do next was not something he wished to drag ordinary humans into.
And since the Great One of Earth wanted to accompany him, neither he nor Snow possessed any real solution to humanity’s predicament.
Seeing this, Sieghart let out a sigh and decided to act himself.
"Far from this place, on an entirely different planet... a green world overflowing with life and covered in endless forests... there exists a new human civilization built from nothing by the human warrior who fled Earth hundreds of years ago."
Sieghart spoke calmly, introducing everyone to his homeland.
"Only a few centuries have passed since he began rebuilding humanity through his descendants. Our numbers are still so small that we all live within a single city."
"I believe transporting all the humans here to my homeland is the best solution."
And thus, the answer came from Sieghart...
The very last person to arrive on Earth.
"Indeed... it does sound like the ideal solution," Frey replied, though obvious suspicion lingered in his voice.
"But your timing is strange, Supernova."
"Where were you all this time? And why did you only appear now... almost as though you descended from the heavens themselves?"
Sieghart’s intervention against Agaroth...
His survival...
And then his sudden arrival with the very solution that could save humanity...
Everything felt almost too perfect.
As though it had all been arranged beforehand.
Frey’s suspicion was entirely justified, and Sieghart did not seem offended in the slightest.
If anything, he considered it natural.
In response, he gave a faint smile.
"I never intended to come here in the first place. I was busy wandering through my own journey in pursuit of greater strength."
"I won’t deny that I became somewhat interested when I heard the ancient Shadow Sect had resurfaced here... but that alone wasn’t enough to make me involve myself in this place."
"Then what brought you here?" Snow asked the very question both Frey and the Great One of Earth had wanted answered.
And Sieghart responded...