Cipher descended onto the Association grounds.

He wore a frown as he landed.

His ESP kept picking up thousands of high-level creatures.

This wasn't good.

He was about to head inside when the Chairman came rushing out to meet him.

"Ah, Cipher, you're here," the Chairman said, his expression grim. "Quick, follow me."

Cipher fell into step beside him. "What's happening? I'm sensing high-level creatures everywhere."

The Chairman nodded, his jaw tight. "The worst has happened."

"You mean..." Cipher began.

"Indeed," the Chairman confirmed. "The gates have been broken."

Cipher's frown deepened.

"A guard just reported this, and I was on my way to check it out," the Chairman explained as they moved. "Apparently, a team was taking longer than usual to clear a scenario. We sent someone to check on them by attempting to enter the gate."

He paused.

"Surprisingly, they managed to enter. But something was wrong." The Chairman's voice grew heavier. "He encountered a live member of the missing group inside the gate."

Cipher understood immediately. That shouldn't have been possible. You couldn't join a gate if there were still living people from the outside inside it.

"After that, the guard brought out the injured member of the missing group," the Chairman continued. "And just as they had reached a short distance away from the gate..." He trailed off.

"What happened?" Cipher asked.

"A dragon emerged from the gate and flew into the sky."

Cipher sighed.

This had happened faster than he had expected.

In other words, the God of Time had fallen.

…

The two moved quickly and arrived at the gate in question.

As they were getting here, the sky had transformed significantly.

It was now swarming with dragons of every color, their wingspans casting shadows across the earth below. But they weren't alone. Other flying creatures swarmed alongside them: wyverns, griffins, winged serpents, and things Cipher couldn't even name.

And they seemed openly hostile to each other.

Roars echoed across the heavens. Flames and lightning crackled between them. It was as if they would begin tearing each other apart at any moment.

As for the gate itself, creatures were still pouring out. An endless stream of monsters flooding into the world with no signs of stopping.

The Chairman's communicator buzzed. He checked it, and his face paled.

"I just received information," he said quietly. "It's not just this one."

Cipher turned to look at him.

"This is affecting gates all over the world."

The Chairman looked up at the chaos in the sky.

"It seems as though the world is coming to an end," he murmured.

…

Civilians across the globe looked up at the monster-covered skies, their faces pale with terror.

In cities and towns, on every continent, people stopped what they were doing and stared. Traffic ground to a halt. Phones were raised with trembling hands. Children cried. Parents held them close.

The same question echoed in billions of minds:

Is the world really coming to an end?

…

Korea

Jin Woo Park stood beside his subordinate on a rooftop overlooking Seoul.

The sky was thick with all kinds of flying creatures, and the streets below weren't any better. Beasts roamed freely, their roars mixing with the screams of fleeing civilians.

Jin Woo observed it all in silence, his expression unreadable.

"What are your orders, sir?" his subordinate asked.

Jin Woo didn't respond immediately. He just kept watching the chaos unfold.

…

In a hospital room within the association building, Iris was speaking with Yuki, who lay on the bed recovering from her injuries.

"Are you really not coming back?" Yuki asked.

"Unless the world ends, I'm not returning to Japan," Iris replied flatly.

A distant rumble shook the building. Screams echoed from somewhere outside.

"What's that commotion?" Iris wondered.

She walked up to the window and pulled back the curtains.

The sky was filled with monsters. Dragons circled overhead. Winged beasts clashed in midair, flames and lightning erupting between them.

Iris stared at the scene for a long moment.

"Mmh, scratch that," she said. "Even if the world ends, I'm not returning."

…

China

A lone figure stood atop a crumbling building, observing the sky with exhausted eyes.

"I just barely survived the cultivation gate and now this?" he spoke aloud.

Monsters filled the heavens as far as he could see. More poured from a nearby gate, flooding into the streets below.

He sighed deeply and cracked his neck.

"Can't catch a break."

…

France

Amélie sat alone in a dimly lit room, a bloodied book clutched in her trembling hands.

Her face was pale. Her breathing was rapid. Panic had fully taken hold.

"No, no, no," she kept repeating to herself.

She flipped through the pages rapidly, desperately searching.

There must be a way. There has to be something.

"Tch tch tch, what a mess you are."

A voice came from behind her.

Amélie spun around, her heart nearly stopping.

A figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the light.

"It's you..." Amélie spoke in recognition.

"Yeah, it's me," Maya replied casually.

She stepped forward, her gaze drifting down to the book in Amélie's hands.

"I believe you have that which belongs to me," she said.

Amélie's expression twisted in confusion.

Maya pointed at the book.

"Just hand it over and I'll be on my way. I might even let you keep your pitiful life."

…

Cipher and the Chairman stood opposite each other amidst the chaos.

The Chairman's shoulders sagged. His eyes were hollow. For the first time, he looked truly defeated.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

Cipher placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said. "It's not over yet."

Hearing this from Cipher, the Chairman's expression brightened considerably. Some of the weight seemed to lift from his frame.

Cipher exhaled slowly.

Then he rose into the sky.

He ascended higher and higher until he floated above all the ongoing chaos.

He spread his arms wide.

A blue glow began to emanate from his body. Faint at first, then brighter. And brighter still. The light intensified until it was almost blinding, his silhouette burning like a second sun against the monster-filled sky.

Then it happened.

Blue threads of mana exploded outward from his position - countless filaments of pure energy shooting in every direction. They spread at impossible speed, racing across the land, over mountains, across oceans.

Extending.

Covering.

The threads wrapped around the entire Earth in seconds, connecting every corner of the globe in a web of shimmering blue light.

Then they disappeared.

Cipher exhaled.

He had used Mana Dominion to forcibly upgrade Voice Transmission to the Perfect level. Then he'd used a few Forks, applying Rework to each one until he found the exact mutation he wanted.

Transmission.

This one didn't just allow voice - he could transmit images as well.

And even better…his will

With that, he exerted his mind and connected with the entire world.

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