Preman: Then, what reason have you prepared to convince me?

Seventh Ju: Because... "Fall of the Stars" might very well be a colossal living creature.

Preman: A living creature? Evidence?

Seventh Ju: Evidence...

Preman wouldn’t understand concepts like "silicon-based life." None of those traits could sway him.

Seventh Ju: ...Because the "gu" discovered in the Great Gorge that day forms only inside living hosts.

Seventh Ju: To nurture a gu that size, the host must be at least a hundred times larger.

Preman: "Gu"? Who told you this?

Seventh Ju: It was... Priestess Hilcaly.

Preman: ............

Preman: I know the basics of gu, but we haven’t finalized conclusions about that giant worm we transported for study.

Preman: Whether it’s truly gu or some unknown new species remains unclear. Calling it a "belly worm" based solely on appearance seems rash, don’t you think?

Seventh Ju: But Priestess Hilcaly—

Preman: She isn’t a Divine Officer specializing in biology or species. Mistakes in identifying unknown creatures are understandable.

Seventh Ju: ............

Using Priestess Hilcaly’s words as leverage was futile.

Seventh Ju: But yesterday, Half Moon Outflow and I encountered something underground that reacted to our touch like a living being.

Seventh Ju: Plus, there were suspicious writhing movements on the surface. These are all signs of a giant organism beneath us!

Preman: The Fall of the Stars was never ordinary ground. Unprecedented geological activity might exist there.

Preman: Do you have definitive proof that reaction was biological, not a unique geological phenomenon?

Seventh Ju: Yesterday’s site—

Preman: —was buried under rubble last night.

Preman: Using explosives recklessly in underground caves is unacceptable. Who’d take responsibility if the surface collapsed?

Seventh Ju: ...

Seventh Ju: ............

It was hopeless...

No arguments left...

Was I truly wrong? Was Preman’s logic the only objective, realistic path?

............

—Thump.

A soft knock on the heart’s door.

No... this wasn’t right.

Something was deeply wrong...

Preman: Any other reasons? If this is all baseless chatter, I expect better judgment next time. Don’t waste my time.

Seventh Ju: ............

Seventh Ju: Yes! Of course I have another reason!

Seventh Ju: My Wish Power is warning me—I’m about to step into certain death!

Preman: ...?

Seventh Ju: This ability usually alerts me minutes before danger strikes. But today alone, it’s warned me multiple times!!

Seventh Ju: This operation is absolutely perilous, Commander Preman!! You want evidence? Isn’t Divine Sivi’s warning to me proof enough?

Seventh Ju: Can you dismiss even the god’s hint??

*Realize it, Preman.*

*Don’t do this... If you proceed, countless people will die.*

*The Fall of the Stars underground will react unpredictably—bringing unimaginable disaster.*

*So—stop!*

I locked eyes with Preman, willing every thought in my mind to pierce through my gaze.

But...

Preman’s eyes held no trace of persuasion. No softening.

Preman: ...

Preman: ............

Preman: Even Divine Sivi’s grace hasn’t reached every corner of this world.

Preman: Humans are merely one species blessed by the gods. All life shares divine gifts—even the earth itself matters to the gods.

Preman: Relying solely on divine guidance while expanding humanity’s frontiers isn’t always wisest.

Preman: This won’t dictate our Pioneer Team’s actions, Seventh Ju.

Seventh Ju: ............

No way left... Truly no way.

This worry... couldn’t be conveyed...

Preman: Yesterday... what Half Moon Outflow told me held some truth.

Preman: Perhaps I’ve confused your role—oscillating between "useful subordinate," "who to trust," and "who to watch."

Preman: But your words now... give me little reason to accept them, whether as my soldier or my friend.

Preman: Leave. My work isn’t finished.

Seventh Ju: ...

Seventh Ju: ............

Seventh Ju: Yes...

............

............

Aiton: Sir, what did Seventh Ju say earlier?

Preman: Oh, he voiced some personal worries. Ranted like a raw recruit.

Aiton: Shall he be punished?

Preman: Heh. We’ve no time to punish insubordination over trivialities.

Preman: ...Aiton, are you assigned other tasks today?

Aiton: All duties are complete.

Preman: I see...

Preman: ............

Preman: Aiton, I order you to mobilize a squad of "Wilderness Eagles" overnight. Enough for everyone beyond the Great Gorge. Deliver all by dawn.

Aiton: !!??

Aiton: Sir... why such equipment?

Preman: —Also, all personnel beyond the gorge—including laborers—prepare for emergency evacuation tonight. Be ready to retreat full-speed toward Bao City by morning.

Aiton: What’s happening? What did Seventh Ju discover?

Preman: Nothing. Just a recruit’s fear.

Preman: But...

Preman: For some reason, my Wish Power vibrated when he shouted at me.

Preman: Divine Sivi... gave me the same warning.

Preman: And... it hasn’t stopped.

Preman: —Oh, and tomorrow, keep Seventh Ju near me during operations.

Preman: He might still hold some unspoken strategy.

Aiton: ...Understood, sir.

............

............

The next morning—the day of the "finger-cutting."

I’d tossed sleeplessly in my sleeping bag all night.

Though my recent wish negated physical fatigue, exhaustion clung to my spirit.

Yet the camp buzzed with opposite energy.

Over a hundred modified scout balloons hovered meters above ground, awaiting final adjustments by engineers.

Modified explosives were loaded, guarded against accidental detonation.

Soldiers clustered in lively groups, debating the coming operation.

*How I wish I could be so carefree. Heh...*

Half Moon Outflow: ............

Half Moon Outflow: A large transport convoy’s arriving.

Li Weishe: Oh! You spotted it already, Outflow-chan? Sharp eyes! I just noticed too.

A massive ox-cart convoy crawled along the supply line, halting at the only empty patch near camp.

Unlike previous square crates, their cargo were coffin-like black boxes over two meters long.

No familiar aqua paint—just ominous matte black.

Stacks of crates piled high as laborers unloaded them. Idle soldiers gathered, murmuring in hushed tones.

I pushed through the crowd—and recognized the convoy leader: Captain Aibin, who’d guided me along this route before.

Seventh Ju: —Aibin!

Aibin: ...Seventh Ju.

After hefting a black crate alone with his burly frame, I approached.

Aibin: Working with scouts now?

Seventh Ju: Sort of... What’s in these?

Aibin: "Wilderness Eagles."

Aibin: Emergency launch gliders. Folded now, but they unfold like roc’s wings.

Aibin: Strap the harness around your waist, grip the frame, trigger the launch—you’ll shoot out like an arrow.

Aibin: Then spread the triangular wings midair. Glide for miles.

Aibin: Usually carries one person. Two, if light enough.

*Triangular... like foldable delta-wing gliders?*

Seventh Ju: Recon equipment?

Aibin: ...No.

His expression shifted slightly.

Seventh Ju: Hm?

Aibin: These are for emergency escapes.

Seventh Ju: ............

Aibin: Last night, we were nearly asleep when frontline orders flooded in. My labor team worked all night.

Aibin: Big operation planned? This many Eagles means one per person... must be dangerous.

Seventh Ju: Probably. Haha...

Aibin: And you can still laugh?

Strangely, the dread that haunted me all night lifted.

*Preman... hadn’t ignored me completely.*

*This preparation alone could save lives if disaster struck.*

*But... it wouldn’t prevent the danger.*

*What would happen after the operation began remained unknown.*

............

............

Preman: —Begin operation!!

Balloons ascended in orderly waves. Soldiers’ cheers rose like a farewell hymn.

Baskets were replaced with bombs weighing hundreds of jin.

Modified into warhead shapes, they sported stabilizing fins for descent. Impact-triggered explosives.

Unbelievable—armor-piercing shells in this fantasy world.

"Wilderness Eagles" were prepped. Most soldiers had withdrawn to the first camp near the Great Gorge’s supply line, safe from potential geological fallout.

Among them: my friends Day High, Li Weishe, Half Moon Outflow, and transport captain Aibin.

Ink River and I were stationed at the second camp with Commander Preman.

A mixed wood-iron barricade shielded us from blast waves and debris.

Only one or two hundred meters from the nearest Fall of the Stars boundary. Less than five hundred from the planned blast line.

We watched the balloons shrink into the thin clouds.

Per plan, they’d form three lines midair, dropping earth-piercing bombs in waves to sever one "finger" of the Fall of the Stars from its main body.

What came after—that unknown future—was my deepest fear.

Preman: Seventh Ju.

Commander Preman stepped behind me.

Preman: Is there anything else you’d like to say to me now?

Seventh Ju: Commander...

Seventh Ju: That’s all. I’ve fully mastered the Wilderness Eagle’s operating manual.

Commander Puleman: And what about Mr. Seasonal Wolf?

Ink River: Do you consider Seasonal Wolf more fragile than humans in your eyes?

Commander Puleman: Of course not. Otherwise, why would I station you here?

Commander Puleman: If the plan proceeds smoothly, our next step is to send trained battle pets into the Fall of the Stars zone. We’ll test whether Wish Points still vanish there.

Commander Puleman: If the animal trials succeed, we’ll rely on you for field reconnaissance.

Seventh Ju: Understood… I hope so.

Commander Puleman nodded, then gazed deeply upward as if trying to pierce through the clouds toward the balloons above.

Commander Puleman: Though I’ve never believed in luck… I still wish us good fortune.

*Clack-clack-clack-clack—*

High in the distant sky, at the instrument-set time and coordinates, rows of bombs detached from their suspension balloons.

Guided by small fins, the bombs began to spin, hurtling earthward to carve terrifying craters.

From afar, these pioneers of exploration resembled soldiers charging in formation. Though the earth seemed unbreakable, they pressed forward relentlessly under gravity’s pull.

*Pierce through it!*

*Shatter it!*

*Scour this land that once humiliated the Pioneer Team!*

*With unstoppable force and earth-shattering explosions, show this territory the might of humanity’s vanguard—the Sincere Kingdom Pioneering Squad!*

*Thud-thud-thud—*

***BOOOOMMMMM————!!!!***

After several heavy impacts, a tsunami of explosions followed.

The shockwave swept through the entire camp. The ground beneath our feet trembled uncontrollably.

The blast’s intimidation spread like seismic waves, shaking everything nearby.

Beyond the howling wind and echoing booms, only the creaking of the protective walls filled our ears.

Everyone dropped to the ground without exception, hands clamped over their ears, fleeing the overwhelming force.

*Thud-thud-thud—*

***BOOOOMMMMM————!!!!***

The second wave of bombs struck the earth again. The same earth-shaking force returned.

This time, the tremor surged from deeper underground. The aftershocks felt ready to burst through the soil.

*Did the first wave successfully blast through the bedrock? Has Commander Puleman’s plan succeeded?*

*Thud-thud-thud—*

***BOOOOMMMMM————!!!!***

Before I could dwell on it, the third barrage slammed into the ground.

Amidst the continuous explosions and gales, I instinctively pressed myself flat, feeling the earth’s violent spasms through my skin.

*It worked…*

*I can feel it will succeed.*

*This assault should achieve the expected results.*

…………

*But…*

Ink River: *……??*

*Why?*

Commander Puleman: *……???*

*Why hasn’t the ground stopped shaking?*

The rhythmic tremors persisted endlessly. Even after the explosions faded, the quaking beneath our feet showed no sign of stopping.

Commander Puleman: *Did we trigger an earthquake?*

Aiton: *Possible. Stay down for now!*

Seventh Ju: *…No.*

*This isn’t an earthquake.*

Having survived a devastating quake before, I knew this vibration differed from seismic tremors.

*Screee—crunch—*

*Screee—crunch—*

That grinding sound of rock collapsing—like a massive landslide, boulders thundering down steep slopes—was nothing like an earthquake’s rumble.

*How? There are no steep slopes here—*

Ink River: *—!*

Commander Puleman: *!!*

But we understood soon enough.

A colossal shadow engulfed the camp, blotting out the clear sunlight completely.

People slowly rose to their knees, lifting their heads amid the gentle swaying to face the sight before them—

—A gigantic, white hand.

White rock levitated as if bewitched, slowly forming a palm hundreds of meters wide—nearly a kilometer across.

This unimaginable sight of doomsday belonged nowhere near reality.

Charred vegetation marked the "fingers." Farther up the "back of the hand," towering jungle canopies swayed, vines twisting faintly.

It was as if a forest had grown upon this stone giant’s palm.

One "finger" was severed, its stump revealing a scorched yellow hue unlike the rest of the white rock.

This colossal hand was undeniably part of the Fall of the Stars.

Beneath it, we were less than ants.

Where the sky vanished, twilight swallowed our world.

Was this the endless darkness of death awaiting us…?