The Celestial Realm cracked.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
Divine authority—once absolute—flickered like a dying flame. Laws written at the dawn of creation began to contradict themselves.
The gods felt it at the same time.
Panic.
"He's rewriting stability without us."
"The observer hasn't intervened."
"We are losing relevance."
Silence followed.
Then one god spoke, voice sharp with fear.
"Then we remove the variable."
---
Inside the tower, Elowen staggered.
Her golden light flared violently, then snapped inward.
The Demon King was beside her instantly.
"What happened?" he asked.
She pressed a hand to her chest, breathing hard.
"They touched something they shouldn't have," she whispered. "They're trying to isolate me from the world."
The assistant's eyes widened.
"They're targeting the anchor."
The tower screamed.
Every rune ignited red.
ANCHOR SEVERANCE ATTEMPT DETECTED
The Demon King's aura exploded outward.
"No."
Across the world, divine sigils activated simultaneously—hidden in mountains, oceans, bloodlines, and ruins. Ancient failsafes designed for a single purpose.
To erase anomalies.
Elowen cried out as chains of light wrapped around her, pulling her upward.
"I can't hold on!" she gasped.
The Demon King raised his hand.
The chains shattered.
The tower responded violently, crushing divine mechanisms across the world. Entire holy sites collapsed. Ancient temples imploded.
In the Celestial Realm, gods screamed as their power recoiled.
"He severed the failsafes!"
"He chose her over the system!"
"Yes," another whispered in terror. "He did."
---
Elowen collapsed into the Demon King's arms.
Her voice was small. "I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing," he replied.
The assistant knelt, head lowered.
"My King… by doing this, you've made yourself the primary target."
The Demon King looked at the glowing core, then at the trembling world beyond the tower.
"Good."
Far beyond reality, the observer leaned closer.
A world defying collapse.
A king defying divinity.
A stabilizer choosing attachment.
Interest shifted into something sharper.
---
In the Celestial Realm, one god whispered the truth none wanted to say.
"We are no longer the final authority."
Another answered.
"And he knows it."
The tower pulsed.
The world shook.
And the gods—
for the first time—
were afraid of being unnecessary.