The human world had been unusually quiet that morning.
Not peaceful.
Quiet.
There was a difference.
For several months, monster outbreaks had become increasingly common across the world. Entire cities had been forced to activate emergency barriers. Government forces had been deployed to regions that had never experienced serious monster activity before.
And yet...
Inside the highest government conference room, there was no sound of panic.
Only silence.
A long circular table occupied the center of the enormous chamber.
Several Sovereigns sat around it.
At the head of the table sat a beautiful young woman.
Her silver hair fell gracefully over her shoulders.
Her calm features remained composed, but something about her appearance was different today.
She looked pale.
Very pale.
This woman was none other than Aria.
The Transcendent of Outcome.
The only official Transcendent directly responsible for protecting the Human World.
And one of the most mysterious beings humanity had ever known.
Beside her sat Rylan and Seraphine.
Neither spoke.
They simply watched Aria.
Around the remaining seats sat five other Sovereigns.
The first was the Martial King.
A powerful man whose presence alone seemed capable of suppressing an entire battlefield.
Beside him sat the Shadow Queen, whose dark aura remained carefully concealed.
Next was Shining Radiance, whose body seemed to naturally emit a faint golden brilliance.
Then came the Magical Sorcerer, surrounded by countless barely visible traces of magical energy.
Finally...
The Queen of Snow.
Her ice-blue hair fell down her back like frozen silk.
The air around her remained several degrees colder than the rest of the room.
None of the Sovereigns spoke.
Because something was wrong.
Very wrong.
They had seen Transcendents before.
They had seen injuries.
They had seen exhaustion.
They had even seen Sovereigns on the verge of death.
But seeing a Transcendent looking pale...
That was different.
It was almost unheard of.
A Transcendent was supposed to stand above nearly everything in the Human World.
A being who had stepped beyond the limits of ordinary existence.
A spirit god.
Someone whose mere presence could alter the balance of an entire civilization.
And yet Aria looked...
Tired.
Her complexion was pale.
Her lips were slightly dry.
Even her usually sharp eyes seemed heavier than normal.
The sight alone sent a chill through the Sovereigns.
If someone like Aria looked this exhausted...
Then whatever had happened had to be extraordinary.
No one blamed her.
They knew how much responsibility she carried.
For a long time, the Human World had been protected by two great Transcendents.
Asterion, the Transcendent of Matter.
And Aria, the Transcendent of Outcome.
Together, their work had been considerably easier.
Asterion handled countless large-scale threats.
Aria managed the countless possibilities that threatened humanity.
The two balanced one another.
But Asterion was gone now.
And everything had changed.
Monster outbreaks began appearing more frequently.
Portals opened in places where they had never appeared before.
Creatures emerged from the Spiritual Realm with increasing frequency.
And every crisis eventually reached Aria.
The pressure had begun taking a toll.
There was another secret behind her exhaustion as well.
Aria had created two separate bodies.
One remained at the Transcendent level.
The other was only at the Master rank.
Her Master-level body was the one that usually worked directly with the government.
It allowed her to interact with officials and newly awakened Initiates without overwhelming them with the authority of a Transcendent.
The government knew the truth.
They knew that the woman helping newly awakened Initiates was connected to the true Aria.
But they deliberately worked with her Master-level body.
It maintained a sense of balance.
It prevented the government from becoming nothing more than an organization operating beneath the direct influence of a Transcendent.
That was also the body Jade had encountered when he first entered the Human World.
The calm woman who had rescued him from the ocean.
The woman who had escorted him to the Government Residential Center.
The woman who had casually joked with him after catching him in the form of a fish.
If Jade ever discovered that the person who had witnessed his embarrassing transformation was actually a Transcendent...
He probably wouldn't simply be shocked.
He might genuinely faint.
Yet even the existence of two bodies wasn't enough to explain Aria's current condition.
Something much worse had happened.
Seraphine finally broke the silence.
Her voice was respectful.
Careful.
Even slightly nervous.
"Lady of Possibilities..."
She paused.
Then continued.
"Why has this meeting been called?"
Her voice carried a faint tremor.
Nobody could blame her.
Transcendents were considered almost divine beings.
Standing before one was already intimidating.
Standing before one who looked this serious was another matter entirely.
Aria slowly lifted her eyes.
She looked around the table.
At Rylan.
At Seraphine.
At the five Sovereigns.
Then she took a slow breath.
Her throat felt dry.
She cleared it quietly.
Then spoke.
Her voice was calm.
But there was something beneath it.
Something that made everyone immediately pay attention.
"An apocalypse is approaching."
Silence.
Complete silence.
No one moved.
The words hung in the conference room.
Even the Queen of Snow's cold expression changed slightly.
The Martial King slowly straightened.
The Shadow Queen's eyes narrowed.
Shining Radiance's glow dimmed.
The Magical Sorcerer's fingers stopped moving.
Seraphine stared at Aria.
The Queen of Snow was the first to speak.
Her ice-blue hair shifted slightly as a cold aura spread around her.
"Of course..."
She spoke quietly.
"We already know the sudden appearance of monsters throughout the Human World is a clue."
Aria slowly nodded.
"Yes."
Her expression remained solemn.
"The monster outbreaks are not random."
"They are symptoms."
"The Human World is reacting to something."
Rylan's expression darkened.
"Then what exactly is approaching?"
Aria looked down at the table.
For several seconds...
She said nothing.
Then she finally answered.
"A calamity."
The word alone seemed to make the atmosphere colder.
Seraphine frowned.
"So what's causing it?"
Aria slowly raised her head.
Her eyes became unusually serious.
"A corrupted Divine creature has been formed."
The words struck the room like a blade.
Everyone froze.
For several seconds...
Nobody spoke.
A Divine creature.
Corrupted.
Those two words together were enough to make even Sovereigns feel their hearts tighten.
If such a creature truly existed...
The Human World could be wiped out in seconds.
Not conquered.
Not weakened.
Erased.
The difference between a Sovereign and a Divine existence was already enormous.
And a corrupted Divine creature...
Would be something even more terrifying.
Aria continued.
"I encountered it through a vision."
Her fingers slowly tightened against the table.
"The creature spoke to me."
She paused.
Then repeated the words carefully.
"'The world will soon be brought into the very abode of corruption.'"
The room became completely silent.
Aria's voice became quieter.
"Those words..."
She looked down at her hand.
"...planted a seed of corruption inside my very soul."
Everyone's expression changed.
Rylan's eyes widened.
Seraphine's face became pale.
The Martial King's fists tightened.
The Shadow Queen's aura flickered.
The Magical Sorcerer looked genuinely stunned.
Even the Queen of Snow's cold composure cracked.
A seed of corruption.
Inside a Transcendent.
That was something none of them had ever wanted to hear.
Aria slowly continued.
"Don't worry."
"The Transcendent of Catalyst helped slow its progression."
Everyone remained silent.
"Without Jason..."
Aria paused.
"...I wouldn't be sitting here speaking to you."
She took a slow breath.
"I attempted to cleanse myself."
"Again."
"And again."
"But I couldn't completely remove it."
Her eyes became distant.
"The corruption is still there."
"Waiting."
"Growing."
"Very slowly."
"But it is growing."
No one interrupted.
There were five Transcendents known to actively assist the Human World.
The first was Asterion, the Transcendent of Matter.
The second was Aria, the Transcendent of Outcome.
The third was Anil, the Transcendent of Time and Henry's father.
The fourth was Clara, the Transcendent of Impurity.
And the fifth...
Jason, the Transcendent of Catalyst.
Each had played an important role in humanity's survival.
But Asterion was gone.
And now Aria carried corruption within her soul.
The balance protecting humanity had never felt so fragile.
Seraphine finally spoke.
Her voice was quieter this time.
"So..."
"What does that mean?"
Aria looked directly at her.
"I will challenge my Divine Trial."
Everyone froze.
Seraphine's eyes widened.
"Your Divine Trial?"
Aria nodded.
"I need to cleanse the corruption."
"The Human World cannot survive if the seed continues growing inside me."
She looked around the table.
"I've considered every possible outcome."
Her voice remained calm.
"But there is only one path that gives humanity a chance."
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Aria slowly leaned back.
Her expression remained composed despite the weight of her words.
"I will leave the Human World."
"I will challenge my Divine Trial."
"And I will attempt to cleanse myself before the corruption fully takes root."
The Sovereigns remained silent.
Everyone understood what that meant.
Aria's absence would be a devastating blow to humanity.
But if she remained...
And the corruption continued growing...
The consequences could be even worse.
Aria slowly looked around the room.
Then she spoke with quiet certainty.
"It will be a major blow to the Human World."
"But..."
She paused.
Her eyes became firm.
"...this is the only way."
Aria lowered her gaze.
"I have chosen an outcome..."
"...that can still save this world."