Wyn’s short rest is gently interrupted by the soft, raspy lick of Cateto’s tongue. His wounds haven’t healed fully yet, but his curiosity is drawn to Cateto, who moves from person to person, waking the rest of the team in the same manner.

  “Why are you crying, Cateto?” Wyn asks.

  “I am?” The cat pauses, rubbing a paw under his eyes. “The invasion is over. Hell has held...but at the cost of significant losses. You are to attend the special meeting at the square.”

  As Wyn’s team steps out of the tent, they find David’s team already waiting just outside. Cateto excuses himself, pressing a paw firmly in a specific manner to the ground to open a portal before departing to reunite with his family.

  “Did you hear? It’s over. We held,” David says, his voice weak, tinged with lingering sadness. It’s clear he hasn’t rested yet.

  Fatima remains unconscious, and with Eugene’s injuries too severe, David decides to leave them behind to rest. The rest of his team joins Wyn’s as they make their way to the square. On the stage stand Dark Force, Pete, Wei, and Steve – his broken back forcing him to lean on Pete and Wei for support.

  Slowly, souls begin to gather in front of the stage – some limping, others crawling, and a few being carried by their companions. What was once an army of nearly five thousand now stands at only two thousand. Meanwhile, David uses this time to assess the number of surviving Skill Tree and Neutral members.

  “...Less than half alive,” David mutters under his breath.

  Some factions have been completely annihilated – like the New Brats, wiped out by the devastating robot explosions. The CU-NT has suffered heavy losses as well, with more than half its members gone. Yet, as David scans the crowd, his gaze falls on the SETAC faction. They stand untouched, without a scratch or any sign of having participated in the battle. David clenches his fist, anger simmering at the sight. But with a deep breath, he shifts his focus back to the stage.

  “I humbly thank you all for your sacrifices in defending Hell,” Dark Force says through a megaphone, his expression neutral as ever.

  Next, Pete steps forward, his voice rising with conviction as he attempts to rally the spirits of the gathered souls. He speaks of their triumph, highlighting how Hell now has two leaders whose essence counts rival that of an actual deity. Yet, his words meet a muted response – only a few weak cheers break the silence.

  “This war is pointless! Letting one of us lead alongside you – then what? What about the rest of us? Why do we have to suffer? What about our dead friends?” Wyn shouts, his voice cracking but thick with anger. His words ripple through the crowd, stirring murmurs of agreement.

  Dark Force stands firm, his tone calm yet commanding as he responds, “We are rebuilding life as we know it. Your sacrifices will help us change the world for the better. There will be no more afterlife. You can all be reborn, live your lives on Earth forever, and however you want it.” His gaze sweeps across the crowd before delivering the final words with weighty conviction. “And at the end of it all, one of you will become a creator and inherit Heaven King’s power – a divine creator with a human past.”

  The murmur grows louder, a ripple of confusion sweeping through the crowd – some still unsatisfied with the answers.

  “A planet without its creator dies,” Dark Force continues. “Earth was created by me and the Heaven King, so if one of us vanishes, someone must absorb our essence and assume the role.”

  While Wei observes the crowd’s reaction, Steve remains silent, his gaze fixed on the stage floor, lost in thought. His quiet presence leaves everyone wondering what’s truly on his mind.

  “That brings me to why you’re here,” Pete says. “With Zeus and Poseidon, and possibly Heaven’s entire army gone, at least one entire level of Heaven is unprotected. We need to act fast and launch our own invasion before they regroup and counter.”

  Pete’s words settle over the crowd, followed by a heavy silence.

  “How is it just one level but with two moderators?” a voice calls out from the crowd.

  Soon after observing the functions of the human brain, the creators began experimenting with how to guide humans. All fourteen levels of Heaven and Hell were then utilized for these experiments. On several of these levels, they created “leaders.” In these microscopic worlds, these leaders were given souls to guide, and among them were Zeus and Poseidon. However, as the creators witnessed how most of these leaders became drunk with power, they made a decisive move: they disallowed them from existing on Earth, while still permitting them to exist within their own “worlds.”

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  Like most leaders at that time, Zeus and Poseidon were created by Light Force, with Dark Force standing off to the side, observing. As with all leaders – and later on Hell’s moderators – these entities have the ability to create other beings. Zeus and Poseidon, eager to establish their dominion, went on to weave their own lore, producing their “family” at the cost of their powers. By the time of the invasion, their energies should have fully recovered, but individually, they were among the weakest of their kind. Light Force’s true intention was to observe how two leaders would perform in comparison to a single leader, all while granting both equal power.

  “There is no rule against having two moderators on one level. It all depends on how much energy each of us is willing to expend. The recovery process takes a long time, which means more risk to us,” Dark Force explains.

  “And why do we get moderators instead of planktons?” someone in the crowd asks.

  To keep the leaders in check, Dark Force created the anti-leaders. However, they turned out to be more than a handful, causing harm to both souls and leaders alike. After Heaven and Hell split, Dark Force decided it was best for everyone to keep these anti-leaders locked away somewhere else in the void.

  “Don’t look down on our moderators,” Dark Force adds, “they’re just as strong.”

  “…You said Zeus and Poseidon were the weakest, and now you want us to strike Heaven soon. Do we even have a shot at defeating a stronger deity?” another soul asks.

  “You do, when you work together and grow stronger,” Dark Force replies.

  “That’s also why we need Steve, Wei, and David inside the Nerds’ HQ to discuss strategies in seven days,” Pete adds. “Rest well, and we’ll announce when the counterattack begins.”

  “I refuse to go anywhere with these SETAC bastards around! They were nothing but trouble and did absolutely nothing during the invasion!” a member from Skill Tree shouts.

  “Is that so?” Dark Force asks, his voice calm. “Anyone else have similar experiences with them?”

  A murmur of agreement rises from the crowd. Dark Force casually jumps down from the stage and strides toward SETAC, whose members grow visibly worried as they face Hell’s Lord.

  “Give me a clear answer. Are you going to help out?” Dark Force asks, his expression still neutral.

  “Why should we? We refuse to kill creatures and animals!” the leader responds, his voice trembling with uncertainty.

  Dark Force locks eyes with each SETAC member. The moment his hand rests on the leader’s shoulder, every single one of them implodes. Dark Force then looks at the remaining souls, offering them the same genuine smile that Wyn’s team once saw in the Dark Forest.

  “I leave the rest to all of you,” he says. “Please keep going – not for me, but for Earth and humankind, before it wipes itself out of existence.”

  After the creators agreed on the fate of souls, Light Force volunteered to “disguise” himself, shifting into different forms to fit various regions and eras during his visits to Earth. Despite these changes in appearance, his message remained consistent: spreading the conditions for entering Heaven and Hell, though for some groups, these teachings were misinterpreted over time. It was Light Force who crafted the enduring image of Hell – a realm of punishment and torment – that has persisted through generations.

  Dark Force once observed humanity’s trajectory with growing concern, convinced the human race was hurtling toward inevitable self-destruction. After a failed negotiation with Heaven, he sparked a war, intending to merge all realms and directly steer humanity onto a better path. As the war unfolded, the rise of the nerd army redefined his vision. Their ingenuity and resilience, demonstrated through their achievements under his rules, confirmed his belief that the human mind had reached its peak. Yet that very peak also pushed them toward self-destruction – they needed to be controlled. With renewed clarity, Dark Force resolved to liberate humanity from blind beliefs, offering them the chance for eternal life, and fostering independent thought and accountability. Even with this vision, Dark Force never claims to be a savior; he simply seeks to save his creation and guide it to its full potential.

  Shortly after Dark Force leaves the square through a portal on the ground, Pete announces that the elites will be granted the ability to request the statuses of any souls in Hell as a reward for their role in protecting it. However, he also notes that, given the nerds are busy cleaning up the mess, their requests may take some time. Wyn’s team quickly gathers around Mira and sends an email to , requesting the statuses of Christine, Janine’s team, Grandma Mildred, and Lisa’s former team – whom Lisa has yet to spot in the crowd – while providing names and descriptions to the best of their ability.

  After Pete leaves in the same manner as his boss, everyone’s band vibrates. Upon checking, a timer counting down from seven days appears. Steve and Wei direct their respective factions to get the rest they need to heal and be in the best shape possible. Meanwhile, David stands still, staring at the timer on the virtual screen.

  “Let’s all rest up. In seven days, I’ll ring your doorbell, Wyn,” David breaks the silence. “I want my entire team and yours with me at the Nerds’ HQ. We need your input.”

  Wyn nods and leads his team back to the tent. Inside, they all stare at each other in silence. Deciding it’s best to save their conversation for later, he tells them to sleep. As he lies on his pillow, his mind races, conjuring up worst-case scenarios for what’s to come. His concerns grow as he shifts restlessly, struggling to fall asleep. Then other thoughts race through his mind, questioning the need for Earth once the war is over. Heaven and Hell can replicate everything on Earth already, and in their soul forms, they no longer require oxygen – or any of the Earth's resources. That’s when Mira and Lisa come down from the second floor.

  “We want to be next to you guys,” Mira says, sliding herself into Wyn’s sleeping bag and hugging him before immediately falling asleep.

  At first, Wyn blushes and almost pushes her away, but the warmth of Mira’s embrace soothes him. Moments later, he too drifts off into a deep sleep.