A strange silence hung over the plaza of the New City of Ket Nya.
Lying before Lord Kai was the final boss, the three-faced demon. His entire body was enveloped in a dazzling light. Starting from the feet, the demon's form dissolved into motes of radiance, gradually scattering until it vanished completely.
"Could it be...one of the Six Great Generals has become the Great One's kin?"
Lady Athena, the young girl with blue hair styled into double buns, was the first to break the deafening quiet.
"Gwahaha! Never in my wildest dreams did I see this coming!"
Looking thoroughly amused, Lord Ladon stroked the dragon's jaw beneath his snout and roared with laughter.
"Indeed, our Great One shatters our meager imaginations with effortless ease!"
Lord Nemea, with his lion's head, shuddered in sheer delight.
"I knew that spineless idiot was no match for him, but to think he'd actually come over to our side... honestly, that's a shocker."
The sanpaku-eyed man, rubbing the chin below the horns on his brow, offered his bemused appraisal.
"It is the Great One's decree. Naturally, I, Phoenix, have no objections! However, should that wretch ever show disrespect toward our Great One, I will personally deliver his coup de grâce!"
Clenching his right fist, Lord Phoenix—the red-haired youth with vermilion wings—shouted at the top of his lungs.
"My ears burn! How bitterly they burn! When I first met the Great One, I too resisted in vain, only to be beaten within an inch of my life!"
Shrouded in pitch-black darkness, a horde of long-nosed monsters stepped forward.
"That, however, remains the hardest to believe."
To Lord Nemea's dry observation, Lord Ladon added with half-lidded eyes, shooting a mocking glance at the long-nosed monsters surrounding Lord Girimehkala:
"Undeniably so. The only saving grace of that utterly worthless Girimehkala Faction is their devotion to the Great One."
"Hmph! That merely means I was inexperienced back then! More importantly, I shall now convey the divine word of the Great Oneeeeeeeee!"
Lord Girimehkala spread his arms and unleashed a roar that shook the very air, silencing all idle chatter as the crowd leaned in to listen.
"This trial is now officially over! In appreciation of your efforts, and to celebrate the welcoming of our new divine people, a Grand Festival shall commence tonight! Everyone, begin your preparations at once!"
Following Lord Girimehkala's proclamation, a beat of dead silence gave way to an ear-splitting eruption of cheers.
"A festival, is it?! A festival! And what's a festival without drinks?! Hey, Shuten! How about treating us to that top-tier brew you whipped up?!"
Lord Shuten scratched his head with a grimace, then relented.
"Give me a break. I brewed that for the Great One and my faction to enjoy in private. Well, can't be helped, I guess. Fine then! I'll break out the whole damn reserve tonight!"
With a wave of his raised arm, he turned on his heel and dissolved into thin air.
"This is a festival hosted by the Great One himself! Every detail must be flawless! Get to work, all of you!"
As Lord Girimehkala bellowed his orders, Lord Ladon snorted.
"Hah! Who made you the boss?! Still... very well, I suppose I shall offer up the finest fruits and choice meats harvested from my Territory."
With that, Lord Ladon and the other dragons vanished from the scene.
"Lord Phoenix, our faction will oversee the logistics and transport for the Grand Festival."
When an owl-faced elder made the suggestion, Lord Phoenix puffed out his chest and gave his commands.
"Very well. The Great One will be in attendance. Put your backs into it, everyone!"
"And what will you be doing, Lord Phoenix?"
The owl-faced elder asked, a brow twitching.
"Why, as his retainer, I shall naturally remain by the Great One's side!"
Lord Phoenix answered on the spot, as if it were the most obvious truth in the world. A thick vein pulsed on the elder's forehead as his frame swelled to twice its size.
"Phoeniiix... it seems you and I need to have a little chat."
Cracking his knuckles with terrifying crunches, the elder grabbed Phoenix by the scruff of the neck and vanished. The other winged figures followed, disappearing one after another.
"In that case, I shall take charge of the cooking, yes I shall!"
A stunning woman with nine tails announced with twitching ears, her voice rich with excitement.
"I will assist as well."
Another beauty, dressed in daringly revealing crimson garments, offered her help.
"I want to cook too!"
"You stay right where you are! You'll kill people!"
As the women around her frantically held her back, Athena pouted.
"What's the big idea? I was only going to make something delicious..."
She dropped into a crouch and began listlessly tracing circles in the dirt with her finger. Taking Athena by the right wrist, the women in crimson vanished alongside her.
"Gil, is it over?"
Char asked hesitantly.
"Looks like it."
I exhaled a long breath and wiped the sweat from my brow. In all honesty, the spectacle had been so overwhelming that I could barely comprehend what had just transpired. To someone at the bottom of the ladder like me, the battles waged by those transcendent beings were simply beyond understanding. To frogs trapped in a well like us, I suppose a vast lake and an endless ocean feel equally unfathomable.
"There is something I must ask."
Kiji addressed my elder sister with a solemn look.
"What is it?"
"We still share a connection with a human who carries the name of Heinemann. That person is—"
Kiji faltered, no doubt feeling it was too brazen to say the name aloud.
"It is surely just as you imagine."
At my sister's weary smile, Kiji gave a few slow nods. Then, turning his gaze across the crowd, he raised his voice:
"Listen well, everyone! Lord Kai is holding a festival for our new Monster Nation! Let us all lend a hand!"
This time, a thunderous roar of genuine jubilation erupted from every monster gathered in the plaza.
"Gil!"
Char clung tightly to my right arm, looking up at me.
"Char..."
I pulled her into an embrace, finally feeling the nightmare of the past few months—no, the nightmare I had lived for as long as I could remember—dissipating into the clear air.
—Evil Army Headquarters: Annihilated.
Gilbert Loto Amelia cleared the trial of the monster Kai Heinemann, bringing the Northground Great Eclipse Festival to its close.