Back on the ground, Melin found that the battle on the Ancient One's side had already ended. Judging by her posture, she had been waiting for him for a while.
"Where's Selene?"
"She escaped, but she won't be stirring up trouble for quite a while."
"That so? Then forget it. When I have time, I'll pay Mephisto a visit in Hell and have a little chat."
"Ares… is he dead?"
"…Yes. Completely fallen."
As those words fell, Melin and the Ancient One instinctively looked up at the sky.
The sky, which had just begun to lighten, was once again swallowed by darkness. A light rain began to fall, veiling the world in a misty haze. The rain pattered down on the earth and water, but more deeply, it dripped into the heart, tinting it with a sorrowful gray hue.
From the darkness, a rain of meteors descended, trailing long tails of light.
…
…
Meteor showers were once seen as symbols of good fortune. It was said that if one made a wish upon a falling star, it would come true.
But this time, though the entire world witnessed the meteor shower, not a single person dared to make a wish. Not because they couldn't—but because they didn't dare. The very thought of wishing stirred a nameless, suffocating dread deep within the heart.
"Is this what it means when gods fall?" The Ancient One watched the meteors in the sky, asking as a strange sorrow welled up inside her.
"Yes, this is the fall of gods. Even Heaven and Earth mourn." Melin said with emotion.
How many years had it been since he last witnessed a scene like this?
If possible, he wished never to see such a magnificent astronomical sight again.
Except for the gods who once besieged him—especially Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, and the ones from the Buddhist realm—those he would exterminate without mercy.
But for the rest, he still hoped they could agree to coexist peacefully.
Hundreds of thousands of years had passed. The age of human rule marked the end of the gods. Without faith to sustain them, the gods grew weaker and weaker, until they fell from their divine thrones into the mortal world. No new gods could ever rise again.
As time moved on and more of the beings he once knew disappeared, an inexplicable loneliness began to grow in Melin's heart.
…
In a mountainous region of a mysterious African kingdom, a pitch-black panther looked up at the sky and muttered in a low growl, "It's been so long, and another god has fallen. Tsk tsk, that's Melin for you. Barely wakes up and already stirring up trouble. Looks like I'll have to find a chance to reach out to him."
…
Also in Africa, in the golden sands of a desert, inside a hidden temple, a golden statue suddenly burst with blinding light. From it emerged a phantom of a man with the head of a hawk and golden wings sprouting from his back. He gazed at the meteor shower above.
"Ares has truly fallen? And the one who did it… Melin!? So he really is still alive! Should I go talk to him? I didn't even participate in that battle back then…"
…
In the palace of Asgard, Odin was in the middle of announcing new decrees when his body suddenly stiffened. He immediately dismissed everyone, leaving only Frigga and summoning Heimdall.
"Your Majesty, My Queen," Heimdall saluted the two and then joined them in gazing toward Earth.
"Melin made his move. I just didn't expect Ares to be the first." Odin smirked.
"Your Majesty, we must begin our preparations," Frigga said.
"Yes, the prelude to the final holy war has begun. The prophecy of Ragnarok descends once more. We cannot remain uninvolved. I only hope we can make it through… but Thor, sigh…" Odin sighed in frustration. Just thinking of his son gave him a headache.
"Your Majesty, I have a suggestion."
"You mean…"
"Yes."
The tacit understanding between Odin and Frigga—no, Freyja—was extraordinary. Without a word more, Odin already knew what she meant.
"Very well… make the arrangements."
"Yes."
Outside the palace doors, Thor was completely confused. The meeting had been interrupted halfway through—something that had never happened before.
"What's the matter, brother?" Loki approached and asked.
"I was just wondering why Father would suddenly end the meeting."
"Must be something very important."
"I know… but still…"
"What's wrong?" Loki raised an eyebrow. He sensed something was off—Thor's mood was surrounded by a faint sadness. That wasn't like him at all.
"I don't know. I just… feel kind of sad… like… something inside me is trying to break free… Never mind. Let's go drink."
"Alright, but don't try to get me drunk."
Walking beside Thor, Loki's lips curled in a mischievous smile before quickly returning to normal—clearly, a new scheme had just taken shape.
…
In a strange and resplendent space filled with Sanskrit and the sound of Buddhist chants, Shakyamuni had created an independent Buddhist realm attached to Earth's primary plane in order to avoid Melin.
"Buddha."
At Shakyamuni's summons, countless Buddhas gathered before the great hall, reverently gazing up at the enormous, sacred figure on the steps.
"Ares… has fallen."
The voice was soft but filled the entire Buddhist realm in an instant.
The gathered Buddhas were shocked, and the crowd stirred in alarm.
"Ares? A main god!"
"Who did it?"
"Melin, probably? Only he could pull something like that off."
"Damn it! Him again! Because of him, most of our disciples in the outside world have been wiped out! Even the faith and incense power I rely on for cultivation are running dry!"
"Tell me about it, but the Buddha won't let us act."
"Damn it. If I could go out there, I'd slaughter Sanctuary myself!"
"Yeah right. With Melin around, you'd be dead before you even got close."
…
"Silence!" Guanyin Bodhisattva, standing beside Shakyamuni, could no longer hold back and shouted sternly. The crowd quickly fell silent.
"Everyone is to remain in the Buddhist realm. No one may leave." Shakyamuni gave only one order—but it sparked great discontent.
"Buddha, why must we continue to tolerate this!?"
"Exactly! There are tens of thousands of us here—if we can't destroy Sanctuary, we can at least do serious damage!"
"The holy war is coming. If we can just eliminate a few Gold Saints, the armies of Hades and Poseidon will finish the job!"
"The Eight Legions of Heaven and Earth were all wiped out! We can't keep backing down!"
"Buddha! Give us the order!"
"Give us the order!"
"Enough!" Shakyamuni roared, silencing all. "Did you not hear me? Remain where you are. No one is allowed to leave the Buddhist realm!"
"But—"
"Hmm?"
Bang!
Just as someone tried to argue further, Shakyamuni glanced at him—and his words were cut short, becoming the background noise to the explosion of his body like a firework.
Seeing this, all the warmongers who had wanted to chime in shut their mouths.
Seeing no further objections, Shakyamuni waved his hand to dismiss the gathering. Left alone, he gazed into the distance and murmured, "In the end, I've made a mistake. The final holy war… the extinction of the Buddhist realm… is it fortune or disaster…?"
Before leaving, Guanyin gave Shakyamuni a complicated look. "The suggestion from Mahāsthāmaprāpta must be considered seriously…"
…
Stryker was dead, the research facility was completely destroyed, and all the captured mutants were rescued. Ares had fallen, and the Black Queen Selene was severely wounded. The results were beyond expectations.
Naturally, Melin had no reason to linger. After the Ancient One left, he considered the timing and recent events, and finding nothing urgent, he decided not to return to Sanctuary. Instead, he headed directly to New York to reside temporarily. As the center of the world, something interesting might happen there.
Besides, the Ancient One had informed him that Athena would reincarnate within twenty years—and the place was New York.
This time, he intended to prepare thoroughly to prevent a repeat of what happened before.
Back in Sanctuary, Logan and the others had been brought back by Mu and Erik, awaiting word from Melin.
The sudden meteor shower had made them uneasy, unable to understand the sorrow it stirred in their hearts. Their worry for Melin only deepened.
Not until Mu explained everything did they finally relax.
"Mr. Mu, how is Melin? Why hasn't he returned yet?" John asked. He was planning to accept Melin's invitation to join the X-Men—he couldn't have anything happen to his future boss.
"Don't worry. Lord Melin was victorious. He asked me to pass on that he'll be staying in New York for a while and won't return to Sanctuary soon," Mu replied, also explaining that Ares had fallen, and the meteor shower was a sign of a god's death.
"Well, I just got the job and was immediately abandoned by my boss," John shrugged and joked.
"You've decided?" Logan asked.
"Yeah. He's right. Instead of wallowing in guilt and self-destruction, it's better to do something to atone. At least… maybe I'll have fewer nightmares," John said.
"Then best of luck to you." Logan smiled and gave him a friendly punch.
"What about you? Not staying?" John asked.
"Not yet. Silver and I are going to travel a bit. When we're tired, we'll come back." Logan said.
John nodded. He knew Logan wasn't the type to settle down. A wolf doesn't live like a domesticated pet. Its home is the vast wilderness and quiet forests.
"You're leaving too? Then let's go together," Remy said.
"You're leaving?" Logan and John were surprised. After all the torment Remy had endured under Stryker, he should be craving security—and Sanctuary was the safest place in the world. Why leave?
"Don't look at me like that. Once you've spent years in a dark cage facing endless torture, you'll understand the value of freedom," Remy explained.
Logan and John exchanged glances and nodded. They understood.
"Then… until we meet again."
"Until we meet again."
"I don't think it'll be long."
After saying their farewells, John left with Erik to report to the X-Men. Mu took the rest of the mutants who chose to stay in Sanctuary. Logan and Remy waited behind.
"Logan."
"Where's your sister?"
"She chose to stay. She said the people here are kind, and she'll be safe."
"Then let's go."
"Alright."
Once Silver reunited with them, the three of them grabbed their luggage and set off on a new journey.