The Nebula’s Civilization

Sarcho's face twisted with anger. Sarcho’s was so outraged that tears formed in their eyes.

"Ordering to hand over the gods of the Pantheon? Is that a threat? Bowing your head to those winged villains! Listen! Councilor Adiosi! Etch this into your dull brain! Do you think this an opportunity?! This is not an opportunity! Following the Pantheon, now the old gods too, were you yearning for the sweet coating of subjugation?

It's not the Empire but you who are the puppets! You’re blinded by filthy greed to enrich yourself with parasitic power. The gods have lost their divinity and become mortals. The very thing we longed for has happened! We can even charge them with crimes and bring them to trial! But that’s only within the humane procedures of the council's law.

That's the law of our Empire, our people. But you want to follow the words of buffoons with donuts on their heads? Anyone answer me! Is a god who has lost divinity still a god?"

The journalists stopped even their typing, not to miss a word out of the litany of words.

"I no longer see those who are not above us anymore as gods. Now they are people like us. But who dares to use people as tools! No one can. Absolutely not!"

Applause erupted, followed by a standing ovation, and everyone in the council cheered. Some journalists joined in. Only a few separatist councilors were confused.

Sarcho then opened a water bottle and drank heavily, emptying it in one go.

After taking a deep breath, Sarcho said in a somewhat calmer tone, "To my secularist comrades, I, Sarcho, cannot accept any being that dares to call themself a god. From now on, by the chairman's authority, the western continent will operate independently from the Empire’s center, exercising continental autonomy. We will operate the imperial army within all categories allowed by autonomy, and our enemy is the old god. That's all."

"Wow, that Bugbear has an incredible presence," Hwee-Kyung said, watching the broadcast.

In the broadcast of the western continent's council, the councilors were throwing questions at Sarcho, who had just finished their speech.

Hwee-Kyung was at the meeting plaza of the Itimo Building in Pollivia on the eastern continent. The meeting plaza occupied three floors, from the 70th to the 73rd, and was divided into restaurants and simple recreational areas.

Pollivia, once a floating city, was completely rebuilt with advanced technology using the wealth of the Itimo Group and created artificial grounds to support tall buildings. Because of this, Pollivia appeared as a giant floating city above the sea when viewed from the coast. The highrises, extending from the horizon, reflected sunlight at the sea level, creating an impressive landscape.

A shadow beside Hwee-Kyung said, "They are considered a candidate for apostle."

"Apostle candidate? Wow, it doesn’t seem like the Bugbear would ever accept it."

"Of course. The gods are also disappointed by this."

“Yeah. But, you know…”

Hwee-Kyung looked around the empty lounge. She glanced at the tea and snacks beside her. Having become an apostle, Hwee-Kyung no longer needed such material things, but she had picked them up out of habit. It seemed she enjoyed these things more now that they didn't affect her physical body than before she became an apostle. Still, she felt she had eaten a lot already and probably wouldn't need the next meal.

The shadow beside her said, "Speak your mind, Hwee-Kyung."

"Um..."

The reason the meeting plaza was empty was simple—the entire Empire was in a situation similar to wartime emergency. No one had the luxury to leisurely enjoy themselves at the meeting plaza of a global corporation's building.

"...Sairan, is it really okay for us to be doing this?"

Sairan Muel stepped closer and gently placed a hand on Hwee-Kyung's back, saying, "Of course."

"...But, you know, you didn't participate in the second moon operation either."

"Night Sky ordered me himself. My duty is to protect you."

"Oh, um, okay. What about Lakrak?"

"He seemed not to expect me to participate in the first place."

"And Zaol?"

"She said it’s natural for one’s father and mother to be together. Anyway, you don't have to worry."

"Uh, okay. But...we're...too close."

"Sorry."

Hwee-Kyung gently touched Sairan's chin as he was about to move away. Sairan looked puzzled, meeting Hwee-Kyung's eyes. Hwee-Kyung hesitated before removing her hand.

"But we're not here just for fun, after all. I don't want to be disrespectful to the gods."

"Understood."

Hwee-Kyung was surprised when she heard about the plan.

‘The Fall.’

But the fact that the Fall had been foreseen was enough for the current situation to not worry Hwee-Kyung too much. No matter how dangerous a situation, if one knew about it beforehand, they could prepare for it, and if they could prepare beforehand, the danger was essentially non-existent.

Indeed, the Fall had occurred, and the old gods had appeared, but no major incidents had happened yet.

'Still, we should be careful.'

Apostles were already on standby in various parts of the Empire to face the old gods. This was closely linked with the Intelligence Agency and the Imperial Army's headquarters, and from the broadcasts, it seemed most citizens were unaware of the undercurrents.

'Even someone like Sarcho seems to think the Imperial Army isn't preparing properly.'

Of course, Sarcho's public statements alone made it easier to subtly manipulate former revolutionaries in the western continent's Imperial Army. To Hwee-Kyung, the separatists seemed like a bigger bomb than the hardline secularist groups representing the Power of Reality. Sarcho, with just one speech, had not only quelled such threats, but also influenced numerous secularists across the continents on each side.

'It's just as Night Sky said. The stage is being set cleanly.'

However, this was not enough. The old gods were too reliant on ancient records, so predicting their attack methods was largely speculative. It was the most critical time.

'There was nothing to do but wait.'

But before 24 hours had passed, the old gods revealed themselves. After all, they had to show up if they intended to attack.

'And once they show themselves, they become vulnerable to attack.'

It wouldn't be easy, due to the numerous Sky Castles, the floating crystals the intentions of which were hard to discern, and the extent of the old gods' power they could only guess at. Especially since the gods of the Pantheon were in a vulnerable state.

In such a situation where the enemy's strength couldn’t be precisely determined, the appropriate level of protection was unknown. Some of the gods even volunteered to act as bait.

The Pantheon believed that, with sufficient protection guaranteed, a kind of luring operation could help in observing and understanding the old gods' way of reconnaissance and attacking. However, what would constitute sufficient protection was unknown, the gods who volunteered might as well be jumping into the fray defenseless.

'But it’ll be okay.'

They were prepared. The Pantheon had covertly established two pillars of power in the Empire's system to face the old gods. One was the visible power, namely the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Army. Their role was to appear unguarded or unable to respond properly to the old gods, maintaining a passive defense. In an actual battle, they would all become a shield of desperate resistance, but they couldn’t be considered an offensive weapon.

The other was the hidden power, the Intelligence Agency and the Fifth Waterwheel. These two secret agencies, which could be considered the Empire's nervous system, were connecting apostles worldwide and closely integrating their opinions.

Especially the Fifth Waterwheel, the connection of which could only be confirmed through the flow of capital, had a basis to believe that the old gods would not be able to properly discern this connection. According to ancient ruin research, the old gods had never successfully established a true capitalist system.

'That's the blind spot. The danger of a blind spot lies in not knowing what you can't see.'

The Itimo Building in Pollivia was a key location for the Fifth Waterwheel. Dozens of satellites launched under the guise of the moon-facing plan were collecting information about the old gods at the speed of light, and human and material resources, almost infinitely invested, were being used to extract insights at research institutions.

Hwee-Kyung checked her portable device and then said, "Sairan, the analysis of the floating crystal is complete."

"Oh, really?"

"According to the magical reading, it's some sort of physical transmission device."

"It's a transporter. It seems the enemies intended to attack the inner parts of each city."

"Hmm, that seems right. The method of destruction is simpler than I thought."

"Should we immediately transmit this to the Imperial Army?"

"Perhaps we should seek permission from our Commander in Chief first?"

Hwee-Kyung turned around. Other apostles were also present in the meeting plaza.

Sairan nodded and said, "I'll go and check."

"No, let's go together. There's something I want to ask."

Sairan nodded again and followed Hwee-Kyung to one side of the meeting plaza, toward a spacious Go parlor. It was a place where you could enjoy various games, including Go, and was decorated quite antiquely with high-quality wood, not matching the style of a modern building.

Even though electronic entertainment and games using electronic devices had become common in the Empire, these old-fashioned games were still popular, and professional players were as famous as celebrities.

As they entered the empty Go parlor, a voice was heard, "Hmm, you are much smarter than your ancestors."

"That's... Should I take that as a compliment…?"

"Of course you should. Any elder would be happy to know their descendants are better than them. Hwae-Sa would be pleased."

"Well, I'll take it as such…but my doubt about it being a compliment was because I lost the game even after placing nine stones..."

At that, a hearty laugh echoed through the parlor. What was visible was a giant Ogre, and Hwee-Kyung had just learned about this Intelligence Agency agent, Mando Hwae-Sa. The person Hwee-Kyung was looking for was hidden behind Mando.

Mando quickly noticed their presence and turned around. "Oh, didn’t see you there."

"Ah, you may continue. Night Sky told us to move leisurely anyway."

The person hidden behind Mando responded, "Oh, Hwee-Kyung. That's right. No matter how quickly you want to win, it's useless if you're hasty. What's always important is to move at the right time."

Hwee-Kyung felt a sense of relief seeing that confident figure. It was a statement from the Empire's greatest strategist, so it couldn't be wrong.

Hwee-Kyung said, "The analysis of the floating crystal is complete. It is..."

"Something like a summoning device, I suppose."

"Oh, did someone tell you already?"

"Hmm, well, there's no other possibility."

Hwee-Kyung passed Mando and looked at the Lizardman with black scales, deeply contemplating the Go board. This Lizardman had been a thorn in the side of the Pantheon, frequently rejecting the position of an apostle offered by the gods. It was rare for someone to refuse when gods wanted to bestow the title of apostle in their name to a capable individual. There was a reason for it though.

'I thought I'd finally rest in peace after death, but this is ridiculous! I won't accept it! Look at my poor brother. Do you think I'd want to do that? I'm just going to enjoy myself now.'

That was what the Lizardman said before roaming not the pantheon, but the Prairie of Beginnings, already famous but made even more so by their eccentricities.

Some gods began to propose becoming an apostle through bets, with the agreement that if a god won a fair game against them, they would become an apostle in the name of that god. To ensure fairness, the gods imposed penalties on themselves during the game. As a result, all the gods who challenged them lost.

Of course, there was one god who held the highest possibility of winning yet hadn't challenged this famous non-apostle until now. That was Night Sky.

When a god asked why Night Sky had challenged this Lizardman after not doing so for so long, Night Sky replied, "Because the time has come."

Night Sky defeated the Lizardman and offered them the last position of apostle in the Pantheon, as his own.

Hwee-Kyung looked at her equal, the new apostle, with a pleased smile. "By the way, I heard you never lost to an army of mortals. How do you think it will be against an army of gods?"

The last and thirty-third apostle of the Pantheon, Vasen Lak Orazen, replied with a smile, "Would it be any different? I will now command the army of the gods."