Boss stood before the central obsidian table, her fingers tracing the edge of a holographic interface that pulsed with the light of a dying world. Behind her, the goblin baristas worked in eerie silence, the steam from the espresso machines mixing with the holographic sparks.
She swiped her hand, and a massive, multi-layered timeline of the last two months expanded across the room.
Kim Hajin stared at the flickering holographic display, the blue light reflecting off his pupils. His [Robot] trait and skill was working at maximum capacity, processing the sheer volume of data, yet even then, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain behind his eyes.
Beside him, Boss stood like a pillar of shadow, her voice continuing to narrate the death and rebirth of their reality.
"The world you knew is gone, Hajin," she whispered. "The system didn't just merge the universes; it glitched. It lagged. Reality itself suffered a memory leak, and when it stabilized, the geography of Earth looked like a jigsaw puzzle put together by a madman."
I. The Glitch in the Map: A New Pangea
The projection shifted, showing the globe.
It was no longer the smooth, familiar sphere.
Jagged edges, "lag-induced" tectonic shifts, and islands that seemed to appear out of thin air dotted the oceans as if they had always existed.
"The old world order is dead," Boss continued. "The United Nations collapsed within the first forty-eight hours two months ago. Economy, international law, borders—none of it meant anything when the sky turned purple and Victorian steamships began docking in New York harbor and Scenarios creating even more chaos."
II. The Three New Powers
The Northern Superstate (The Unified North): This was the most jarring integration. The United States of America had merged with the Loen Kingdom, Intis and Feynapotter. It was a surreal synthesis of the 21st century and the 19th. Modern fiber-optic cables now ran alongside brass steam pipes. In the streets of what was once Washington D.C., skyscrapers were adorned with the banners of the Augustus, Castiya, and Sauron royal families. Supported by
The Feysac-Canadian Tundra: The Feysac Empire had moved with brutal efficiency, annexing Canada in its entirety, Hero Association could not do anything with it. The northern wilderness was now a high-security militarized zone sponsored by
The Balam-Brazilian Merger: South America was a mess. Brazil had absorbed the majority of West Balam, but the result was far from stable. It was a landscape of dense, mana-saturated jungles where ancient South American mysticism blended with modern guerrilla warfare. The territory was in a state of "bare equilibrium," as secret organizations and Djinns had infiltrated the local governments and countries, turning them into mere puppet states.
"And then," Boss added, her voice dropping, "With the influx of 'Incarnations'—people plucked from other timelines—and the physical relocation of entire cities from the other universe, the population has surged to 13 billion. Resource management is a war in itself."
III. The Grave of the Moon and the Celestial Front
The hologram panned upward, leaving the Earth behind to show the silent, scarred expanse of the cosmos.
"The Star Stream is no longer a silent viewer," Boss said. "It is a battlefield. Many Nebulas have shuttered their worlds, hiding behind absolute barriers to avoid the Outer Deities. Even Shakyamuni failed."
The image showed a terrifying, multi-colored dragon—the Final Dragon of the Book of Revelation. Shakyamuni, unable to seal the beast because of the influence of Convergence Probability, had used a desperate teleportation ritual to throw the dragon at the most malicious entity he could find in the universe.
"The collision between the Dragon and that entity—the Mother Goddess of Depravity—created a shockwave that cracked the Astral Barrier along the equator," Boss explained.
The Apocalypse Dragon and the Mother Goddess had fought among the stars. Many of the Beyonders were quickly loosing control because of their battle. The Dragon, utilizing its Symbolism of [Destruction] and [Apocalypse], dealt a catastrophic suicidal blow to the Goddess, forcing her to retreat into the deep cosmos. But the price was our Moon. It was shattered into a billion pieces, now forming a glittering, haunting ring of debris around the Earth.
To stabilize the tides, Shakyamuni, with the help of The Emperor nebula and Sun Wukong, moved Reincarnation Island to become Earth's new satellite. It was larger and more imposing than the old moon. The move triggered global tsunamis, but the Lord of Storms and Earth Mother had intervened to stabilize the oceans.
Also, while the heavy hitters fought, the Monarch of Decay and Primordial Hunger had struck at Asgard. Without Odin to lead the defense, and with their own Sefirots of this Outer Deities appearing within the realm's borders, Asgard was quickly overrun. The same goes for the 2nd Demon Realm, which, without Agares, was unlucky enough to have Sefirot of Inextiguishable Ravings appear in their world.
"The Great Astral Barrier that now protects us... it's not from our universe," Boss whispered. "We've learned it was the work of the Original Creator. It's the only thing keeping the Outer Deities and Outer Gods from stepping onto our soil."
IV. The Deep Fog and the Sefirah Leakage
The hologram returned to Earth, focusing on a massive, swirling gray mass covering Central Asia.
"The Deep Fog," Boss said. "Most of China, Mongolia, and the Pandemonium have been swallowed by it. Even the Djinn Association panicked, moving their headquarters to Africa. No one who were caught up in it returned. The Vast Expanse also disappeared into that mist."
She tapped a file labeled Sefirot.
"We received information from Dokkaebis that this barrier divides the Western Continent from the rest of the world. But it's leaking. The Sefirot sealed behind it are bleeding power into the atmosphere, causing mutations and corruption. Anyone who approaches this barrier receive 'Infiltration of Dao' Scenario. But until now there was no successful attepmts to infiltrate the so-called Western Continent that occupied ex-criminal zone of our Earth."
V. The African Campaign: Death of a King
"Africa became a graveyard for both monsters and gods," Boss said.
After Hajin had used the Miracle Bunker card, the heroes had emerged into a continent under siege. 'The Monarch of the Great Abyss'—a King of the Outer Gods—had attempted to establish a beachhead using a moment of when Astral Barrier was still merging itself into existence of this new universe. He was met by Orden, the Monster King.
"It was a battle of monarchs. Battle of Chaos agains Chaos. Orden fought with everything he had, and while the King of Outer Gods ultimately defeated him, the Outer God was left mortally wounded. We and your friend Kim Suho, backed by two of the Nine Stars, executed the weakened Outer God. It ended the monster threat, but it left a power vacuum that the Djinns(since their territory was swallowed by the fog) and appearing out of nowhere Secret Organizations were all too happy to fill."
VI. The Three Pillars of Safety
Boss swiped to a map showing three glowing zones:
North America (The Divine Bastion): The headquarters of the Orthodox Gods. A place of divine law and high-sequence military might.
Korea (The Heroic Core): Despite the destruction of Seoul, the Hero Association and a massive number of Incarnations remain there. It is the world's front line.
Europe (The Shadow Protectorate): Secured by the True Creator, who now controls the Chaos Sea, Mr. Error and European Hero Guilds like English Royal Court.
"The Chameleon Troupe is now a legal entity here," Boss said with a faint smirk. "The Hero Association was too overwhelmed to fight us, so they made us neutral peacekeepers after we helped to defeat 'The Monarch of the Great Abyss'. We also have ties to the Tarot Club, an orthodox secret organization that worships The Fool. We suppose 'He' was transported to the Demon Realm at the start, but we believe he has finally returned."
VII. The Siege of Seoul: The Shattered Shield
"The timer began with Baal," Boss said, her tone turning grim.
The current crisis of Seoul began when the 1st Devil, Baal, utilized the connection of Star Will to the Human Realm and hastily connected to Bell to infiltrate the Earth. Baal invaded Seoul as if looking for someone specific, his presence sending shivers through even the strongest entities.
Baal was met with tremendous resistance; luckily, many of the world's strongest Heroes and Incarnations were gathered for a Christmas celebration. Even one of the Nine Stars was present to deal massive damage to the Devil.
In the heat of battle, a Gate to the Demon Realm opened prematurely. It acted as a vacuum, sucking in 200 of the world's strongest heroes, incarnations and constellations, leaving Seoul defenseless. With the city in ruins and defenseless, a massive evacuation began. Chae Joochul, Medici, the Evernight Goddess, Earth Mother, and
Kim Hajin began massaging his temples.
"But it was only an interlude. After 72 hours, when the borders fell, the missing people, who disappeared two month ago, returned—but not alone. Chae Nayun, you... By the way why did you return only after a week?" Boss was angry now, a rare occasion, "Anyways, the head of
The King of Outer Deities, the Crawling Chaos (the Constellation 'Secretive Plotter'), had appeared on Earth alongside Kim Dokja and Gehrman Sparrow. They were instantly pursued by three other Kings of Outer Gods, who formed an alliance with the Mother Tree of Desire and the Indescribable Mist to kill Crawling Chaos.
"The battle was apocalyptic. The 'Corruption Alliance' from the Demon Realm poured in. Shakyamuni, Sun Wukong, and the Orthodox Gods barely held them back. With the help of True Creator and Mr. Error the three King of Angels and Outer Deities had to retreat. In the crossfire, the Eternal Blazing Sun was corrupted by the Primordial's will. He went on a rampage and had to be killed. Shakyamuni took his soul to Reincarnation Island to start his cycle anew. But that was only start a sudden clash began for no clear reason, between Mr. Error, Gehrman Sparrow and Kim Dokja while True Creator utilising the powers of Chaos Sea and Half-Great Old One held back Orthodox Gods and Secretive Plotter for a brief moment. Mr. Error, Gehrman Sparrow and Kim Dokja had disappeared since then, no one knows where they are now."
Hajin sat back, the sheer weight of the information making his vision swim. He felt as if his brain was being compressed by a hydraulic press. 13 billion people. A shattered moon. Corrupted gods. The Fool. Kim Dokja. Gehrman Sparrow(one of identities Klein talked about).
"Hajin? Are you alright?" Boss asked, reaching out a hand.
"I think..." Hajin gasped, clutching his head. "I think my head is actually going to explode. I... I need to go to the toilet."
He stood up on shaky legs and stumbled out of the command center. He locked himself in the sleek, marble-tiled bathroom and leaned over the sink, splashing cold water on his face.
The world was a nightmare he hadn't written. It was a collaboration of cosmic horrors.
He fell to his knees on the cold floor and clasped his hands together. He wasn't a religious man—his only religion was his own "settings"—but in a world where the stars were falling, he needed an anchor. Or better to say a companion who he was worried about at the moment.
He whispered into the silence of the bathroom.
He closed his eyes tight.
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era..."