Above the Cardinal World, a dome of radiant energy shimmered like a second sky. This was Varvatos' Barrier, a divine wall cast by the Supreme One himself—Varvatos, guardian of existence and ruler of Nyvaris.
Within this barrier, unimaginable battles were already unfolding. The Warden Beasts, colossal divine creatures of Varvatos' own making, were fighting tooth and claw against Noctis Nihilo's minions—eldritch horrors torn from the void, creatures that fed on reality's decay.
But the people of the world did not yet understand. Fear crept in their hearts. Uncertainty.
Then… Varvatos snapped his fingers.
Across every kingdom, every village, every fortress of the Cardinal World, the skies shimmered. Magical images appeared in midair—clear, vast projections of the battle above. The world froze in awe.
Children in the hills of Ruberios stopped playing. Elves in Sarion looked up from their forest altars. Dwarves in the mountains halted their hammers.
The people watched—and then, they heard.
Varvatos (resounding across the world):
"People of the Cardinal World…
You are under attack.
But you are not abandoned."
The skies shimmered with his image—his towering form clad in holy silver armor, long hair flowing like burning silk, and his eyes lit with galaxies.
Varvatos:
"I am Varvatos. And I will not let this world fall.
The Demon Lords will rise again—not as tyrants… but as your guardians."
From his throne in the heart of Nyvaris, the capital of all reason and might, Varvatos reached out—not just to the world, but to those chosen to fight.
His voice echoed telepathically, reaching the hearts of the Demon Lords he had summoned.
Guy Crimson, in his frozen castle of crimson ice, opened his eyes.
Varvatos (telepathically):
"Guy… show the world why you are the Crimson king."
Guy:
"They've forgotten what terror means. Let me remind them."
Milim Nava, twirling midair above her temple-sized palace, cracked her knuckles.
Varvatos:
"Milim. Noctis dares to invade our world. Roar back."
Milim (grinning):
"He's about to regret it."
Draguel, standing beside his time-wielding sons, nodded solemnly.
Varvatos:
"Draguel. Lord of the giants. Let time bend beneath your will."
Draguel:
"My watch begins again."
Leon Cromwell, leaning on his blade in El Dorado, gave a quiet nod.
Varvatos:
"Leon. The sun must burn away the shadows."
Leon:
"I'll scorch them all."
Luminous Valentine, her cathedral bathed in twilight, stood silently as her crimson eyes glowed.
Varvatos:
"Luminous. The Twilight Empress must rise."
Luminous:
"They'll feel my judgment."
Carrion, Frey, and Clayman stood together at the edge of a great cliff overlooking the sky sea.
Varvatos:
"Carrion. Frey. Clayman. The time to show your new resolve… is now."
Carrion (grinning):
"I've been waiting for a good hunt."
Frey (spreading her wings):
"This sky will belong to us."
Clayman (smiling):
"Let me rewrite my story."
At the center of Nyvaris stood a palace unlike any other—floating in the air, made of starlight and mythic stone. Inside, the Royal Court gathered.
There stood Rimuru, the King of Nyvaris—no longer just a monster, but a divine sovereign, chosen and crowned by Varvatos himself.
Flanking him were his loyal and powerful retainers:
Benimaru, the crimson flame of war.
Hakuro, the ageless blade master.
Shion, his fierce and unbreakable shield.
Rigur, the leader of the common people.
Diablo, his faithful shadow, smiling with infernal glee.
Testarossa, Ultima, and Carrera—the Primordial demons of elegance and annihilation.
Varvatos stood beside Rimuru, like a god beside his chosen king.
Behind Varvatos stood his two lovers—Velzard, the White Ice Dragon, and Elmesia, the Queen of Eternity.
They all watched the sky-screens, seeing Warden Beasts locked in primal combat against reality-twisting horrors.
Then, Varvatos turned to them.
"My chosen king… Rimuru. Your kingdom stands as the last wall of reason. The time to act has come."
Rimuru (calm but intense):
"I'll lead our charge. Let the void know this universe is not theirs to claim."
Benimaru (grinning):
"Just give me a target."
Shion (cracking her knuckles):
"They've messed with the wrong world."
Hakuro:
"This old blade still remembers how to cut fate."
Diablo (bowing):
"My Lord, allow me to slaughter in your name."
Testarossa (smiling sweetly):
"I promise to be gentle… until I'm not."
Ultima:
"This will be a dance."
Carrera:
"I'll paint the sky red."
Varvatos nodded, then turned to Velzard, who stood tall and proud beside him.
Varvatos:
"My love… will you fight beside them?"
Velzard (stepping forward):
"They will have no sanctuary in my frost."
Varvatos raised both arms.
A glowing circle formed under their feet—a seal older than creation.
He spoke a chant that made the stars flicker. Energy surged like a tidal wave.
"In My Name, I grant you Power. Let no shadow surpass your light. May your strength double, triple—break all limits."
A blast of sacred magic exploded.
Each warrior's power skyrocketed.
Rimuru's aura became a storm of silver and gold.
Diablo's body pulsed with infernal light.
The Primordial shimmered with devastating beauty.
Benimaru's flames turned white-hot.
Hakuro's blade sung with future strikes.
Shion's power cracked the marble beneath her feet.
Varvatos raised his greatsword, the Sword of Aeons, into the heavens. A bridge of light formed from the palace to the edge of the Barrier.
Then he opened his hand.
Varvatos:
"Go… show Noctis Nihilo why this world will never kneel."
In a flash of starfire—they vanished.
Rimuru, Diablo, Testarossa, Ultima, Carrera, Benimaru, Shion, Hakuro, Rigur, Velzard—and from across the world: Guy, Milim, Leon, Draguel, Luminous, Carrion, Frey, Clayman—
All arrived in the skies at the edge of the barrier, standing between the world and annihilation.
People everywhere cheered. They wept. They screamed the names of the Demon Lords—no longer in fear, but in hope.
Above the skies. Beyond the stars. Far past the moons and suns of the Cardinal World, where even gods seldom walked—chaos reigned.
It was here, at the very edge of the universe, that Varvatos, the Supreme One, had erected the Barrier of Eternity—a wall of sacred law and divine essence that kept the cosmic void and Noctis Nihilo's corruption from flooding into the Cardinal World.
But now… the war had reached this final frontier.
Rimuru, the King of Nyvaris, floated alongside his allies and fellow Demon Lords, their eyes locked on the endless horizon of darkness where Noctis Nihilo's monstrous minions gathered.
The battlefield was not ground or sky. It was space itself—where gravity bent under the weight of power, and magic surged like lightning storms.
All across the world, people gathered and watched the sky—mouths agape, hearts racing. Farmers, kings, children, soldiers—none could look away. For the first time, the gods themselves were fighting for them.
In the space just outside the divine barrier, Rimuru stood at the front. His body glowed with otherworldly energy, surging after Varvatos' divine spell enhanced their powers.
Varvatos (calmly):
"You will hold this line. Let none pass through the Barrier. If Noctis breaches it, all of existence will unravel."
He turned to Rimuru one last time.
Varvatos:
"You are the King of Nyvaris for a reason, Rimuru. Lead them."
Rimuru (solemnly):
"I won't let you down."
As the fighters prepared, Varvatos raised a single hand and carved open a gate of silver and blue. It pulsed with divine energy, stretching into the void far beyond the edge of the universe.
This gate led to Noctis Nihilo's realm—a space outside of time, built from ruin and shadows.
Velzard (quietly, to Rimuru):
"He's going alone…"
Rimuru (gritting his teeth):
"…and we're the only thing keeping him from being surrounded."
And just like that, Varvatos stepped into the gate, vanishing into the chaos beyond.
Silence fell for a single heartbeat.
Then—
BOOM!
The void exploded.
Gigantic monsters surged from the darkness. Some were shaped like dragons stitched from collapsing galaxies. Others were worms that swallowed light. Some were armored knights made of broken time, others were shrieking angels fallen from false heavens.
And then the Demon Lords moved.
Guy Crimson, spinning a crimson storm, shouted:
"Let's show these monsters what it means to be Demon Lords!"
Milim, charging forward, laughed:
"I've been waiting for a REAL fight!"
Benimaru, blades ignited, roared:
"Protect the barrier! No one gets through!"
For every enemy they destroyed, another appeared. But the Demon Lords fought like legends out of myth. Together, they held the outer edge of the universe—keeping Noctis Nihilo from touching the Cardinal World.
Behind them, the divine Barrier of Eternity shimmered brighter than ever. The world still watched, praying. Hoping. Believing.
And far beyond the stars, in a realm of shadows and silence—
Varvatos walked forward.
Ahead of him, the skies bled black and purple. Lightning cracked in reverse.
And at the center of it all, sitting on a twisted throne made of broken souls—
Noctis Nihilo, the Lord of Oblivion, smiled.