The sky did not darken.
It emptied.
Stars dimmed. Constellations unraveled. The heavens lost depth, as if someone had begun erasing layers of existence one by one.
The world felt it immediately.
Not fear.
Judgment.
Elowen lifted her head slowly.
"…It's starting," she whispered.
The assistant's voice was tight. "My King… the gods have triggered the Trial."
The Demon King's eyes narrowed.
"So they chose suicide."
---
Across the world, ancient symbols ignited—older than gods, older than recorded history. They hovered above continents, oceans, and skies, forming a massive circle that enclosed the entire planet.
Not a prison.
A test.
WORLD EVALUATION SEQUENCE INITIATED
Every living being felt it.
Heroes dropped to their knees.
Kings wept.
Beasts went silent.
Because this was not divine judgment.
This was existence deciding whether the world deserved to continue.
---
Inside the tower, the core flared violently.
Elowen staggered, golden light bleeding through her fingers.
"It's measuring everything," she said, voice shaking. "Stability. Resistance. Dependency."
The assistant's breath hitched. "Dependency… on gods?"
"Yes," Elowen replied. "If the world relies on them—"
"It fails," the Demon King finished.
Silence fell.
The gods had activated a system that would erase the world if it proved it could not survive without them.
They believed the outcome was guaranteed.
---
Reality tightened.
Cities flickered. Mountains trembled. Entire regions began to fade, tested for independence.
Elowen cried out.
"It's too much—I can't anchor all of it!"
The Demon King stepped forward.
"Then don't."
She looked at him in shock.
"What?"
"Let go," he said calmly. "Of the parts that still kneel."
The assistant's eyes widened.
"My King… that would mean—"
"Choice," the Demon King replied.
He raised his hand.
The tower answered.
Not with protection—
But separation.
Across the world, the domain drew clear lines.
Those who had chosen gods felt their protection vanish.
Those who had chosen survival remained untouched.
Entire regions flickered—
And were gone.
Not destroyed.
Disconnected.
The trial stuttered.
For the first time, the evaluation system hesitated.
Elowen gasped, eyes glowing brighter.
"…It's confused."
"Good," the Demon King said. "Because this world is not unified by obedience."
The observer leaned closer.
Interest sharpened into focus.
---
In the Celestial Realm, gods screamed.
"He's manipulating the Trial!"
"That's impossible!"
One voice broke, filled with terror.
"The system was never meant to be beaten."
The Demon King looked upward.
"Neither was I."
---
The evaluation symbols flickered violently.
WORLD STATUS: UNDETERMINED
OUTCOME: PENDING
The sky did not erase itself.
It waited.
The world trembled—but remained.
And for the first time since creation—
Existence had no answer.