Was he a good luck charm or something?
With Alexander's interference, the situation calmed down extremely.
The war was still raging on, and people were still dying as they were before, but the atmosphere completely changed,
These soldiers who were at the edge of sanity just a moment ago saw a ray of hope in his existence, and their reinvigorated selves fought with such fervor that it almost seemed unrealistic.
The change in momentum also helped Rose a great deal. The orders she gave were received properly, and those fighting no longer felt overwhelmed by the enemy.
But she knew better than anyone.
'It won't end so easily.'
Even if that man took care of the most important problems, the rest were still there.
'And we do not need to be coddled by a stranger.'
Yes, he was their savior in the past and now, but Rose had no intention of relying on a being of unknown origins.
This problem would be solved by them.
And when it was over, they could thank him for his help and send him on his way.
There was only one man she was comfortable relying on.
And that was not him!
"Everyone, focus! There are still High Commanders and Executioners hiding in their ranks! Do not drop your guards and die meaninglessly!"
Right, it wasn't nearly over yet.
If they didn't finish fast, regardless of what Alexander did, their losses would be far too severe to call this a victory.
Rose was a commander.
Just like she was forced to make the choice to send Su Ren to his possible death, she had to make the choice to disregard Alexander and act like his help never came.
Because if she didn't, those under her wouldn't perform to their peak capabilities.
It was exhausting, but it was her job.
And this ruined world, no, this almost ruined world…
She wouldn't allow it to fall.
No matter what!
***
"Haaap…!"
In the sky above Beast Emperor Star, Astoria suddenly opened her eyes and inhaled a deep breath.
Something definitely happened, but she wasn't sure of what it was.
Fate had answered her call, this much she was sure of.
It was a mystical feeling. What she felt in that cocoon couldn't be explained in words.
But…
Something changed.
Not just in the outside world, but in herself.
Those elusive strings of Fate that could only be moved through desperation in the past…
Why did it feel like they would move if she just plucked them with her fingers?
'I am Astoria Golden.'
She didn't have any reason to reaffirm her identity, but it came to her mind naturally.
'I am the Void Princess.'
She started to understand something,
This title meant more than she ever expected.
The horizons it opened for her were far more than just this.
This was just the very tip of the iceberg, not even everything above the water.
'No, I can figure that out later. Now…'
What happened?
She didn't want to look outside and see her sister dead.
But, the golden light ball that encapsulated her body was already gone.
With her perception blurry from overexertion of mana, she sensed the world for the first time since she came out of the cocoon.
"…"
She was silent for a moment.
She couldn't see anything, but she seemed to vaguely sense something.
Was she mistaken?
Or did it feel like…
"…Master?"
***
Flash!
Two beings appeared in the starry sky.
Their entrance was sudden and most unexpected.
"We're finally here!"
"Hmm…"
Alea was especially excited about their arrival, but Zara didn't know what to think.
The Divine Beast Sanctuary was at least a 10-day journey from Beast Emperor Star, and that was using a starship to move.
Their starship, however, was destroyed upon entry into the cemetery.
With them utilizing only their bodies, it should've taken at least a month.
Yet…
'We were moving through deep space, and suddenly, Beast Emperor Star appeared in front of us.'
It only took three days total.
That was how events unfolded. There were no intense spatial fluctuations nor was there any sort of indication of interference at all, but they mystically reached their destination in record time.
There was no doubt that they'd been pulled here by something.
But…what was it?
'It's almost like…'
"Fate," Alea muttered.
Zara glanced at her without a word.
"Let's not sit here too long. It doesn't look good down there."
Alea nodded and the two moved immediately. There wasn't any time to marvel at the circumstances.
Because to save the world, they were needed more than anyone else.
Right, this world's salvation was not Alexander. As he said, his role was to keep things stable until they arrived.
The true salvation lay in their hands.
Zara and Alea descended into the atmosphere and almost immediately met with Astoria, who was sitting above the stratosphere in confusion.
"Little sister!" Zara exclaimed.
Damien's disciple wasn't unfamiliar to her, and naturally, she welcomed her into the family.
Astoria's eyes were hazy, but hearing the special means of address that few in this world could call her, her vision cleared.
"Z-Zara…?" She questioned hesitantly.
"It's me," Zara said, grabbing her hand.
"You…you guys are back! Did you…"
"We got it."
Zara swept her arm through the air and grabbed the Dimensional Prism out of her spatial storage.
"This is it…?" Astoria asked.
"Mm, this is it. With this, Beast Emperor Star will survive."
"Ah!"
Astoria exclaimed in shock. Even she didn't know exactly what it did, but this was the device her seniors and comrades put their faith in, so seeing it was definitely shocking.
"Return to the surface and notify everyone. We'll be using it immediately."
Astoria nodded vehemently and flashed away. Her body moved with such speed that it shattered the air, a measure of her current excitement.
"Now, as she gets everyone ready…"
Zara looked at the object in her hand.
The Dimensional Prism, an object with reality-shattering capabilities. It was an item that "should not exist."
Its function was simple.
It could create a temporary mirrored reality that could contain reality itself, and more than that, even if it was slight, it had the ability to alter it.
It should've never been possible even for the greatest of experts.
Yet, this treasure made it so.
It was a countermeasure made by over a hundred Demigods in times so ancient they were no longer recorded in history for this very situation, for a moment when the universe could no longer survive the brunt of the Nox's attacks.
It had yet to be found for a single reason.
Nobody worthy of entering the Divine Beast Sanctuary had been born.
But Zara and Alea broke that chain. Their special existences through their mothers, the Divine Emperor, and the Void put them in a position none had reached prior to them.
"Are you ready?" Zara said, glancing at her sister.
"You ask me too often. Can't you read my thoughts?" Alea responded smilingly.
"If I've learned one thing for Damien, it's that effect is always important."
"How corny."
In the midst of this calamitous situation, the two sisters were absolutely calm.
Not because they didn't understand the gravity of it all, but because they were confident in fixing it.
"Then, let's go."
They placed their hands on the prism together and infused their mana.
And, for the first time in the entire history of existence…
A glorious reaction took place.
