Aether arrived in Snezhnaya, a nation ruled by the Fatui, an organization led by a Tsaritsa. The Fatui do not directly involve themselves in domestic governance; their primary goal is to interfere in the internal affairs of other nations and seize the Gnoses of foreign Archons. The Tsaritsa oversees most domestic matters, while the Fatui consist of 11 Harbingers. Politically, the Fatui exhibit clear interventionism and strong independence. On the surface, they are subordinate to Snezhnaya, but in reality, the nation never meddles in their actions, offering neither interference nor suggestions. Their sole objective remains collecting the Gnoses of other nations' Archons. When contact with Earth was established, the Fatui halted all operations to unite against the external threat. During the colonial period, UN forces faced large-scale attacks from the Fatui, though the resistance ultimately failed. Their new purpose in seeking the divine remains unresolved, and what Aether did in Snezhnaya remains completely unknown to the UN.
On Earth's vast plains, the Western Asian Republic had constructed a quantum collider stretching nearly halfway around the globe. "Great Leader, our work…" "Enough, you don't need to say more," Gray interrupted. "From now on, this project only requires the workers to remain. All other technical personnel are to be dismissed." The chief engineer stared at Gray in disbelief. "Are you questioning the Salvation Machine? Very well, I know of an island where you might spend the rest of your days in peace." The engineer fell silent, his gaze turning vacant. Moments later, security personnel dragged him away. Soon after, he was tried and spent the rest of his life in prison.
A terminal displayed "Project Progress: 80%," which brought Gray a sense of satisfaction, though he quickly masked it with a neutral expression.
In his office, Miller sat staring at the ceiling, waiting. Waiting for what? Fate, perhaps. Outside, the clamor of a crowd rose once again, accompanied by gunfire and screams echoing through the streets. "You know, they're back again, and this time there are many of them," a subordinate reported. Miller continued to gaze at the ceiling, unmoved. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Leave." Soon, the streets fell silent once more. "Just another ordinary day. Sigh, Miller, are you truly willing to submit like this? Don't you want to change the situation?" he muttered to himself. "Yes, change… it needs to change." At that moment, the secretary returned. "This time it's unusual. The crowd hasn't dispersed—they've only retreated slightly, and Aether has personally arrived." "Enough, I understand. You may go," Miller replied. Turning away, he murmured to himself again, "As expected, fate… I'm destined to fall after all." Slowly standing, Miller retrieved the handgun from his cabinet—the same one he had once aimed at Dupont—and pointed it at himself.
The crowd on the streets grew larger, shouting angrily for Miller to show himself. The captain of the martial law team, facing the overwhelming numbers, felt powerless. But then, an unbelievable message crackled through the radio: "Cease martial law—this is the highest order. Repeat, cease martial law." Shortly after, a person with a megaphone emerged from the UN administrative building and announced, "Everyone! Miller is dead!" The news sent the crowd into a frenzy. Soon, Miller's body was carried out of the building. The corpse of this once-powerful figure was quickly seized by the enraged masses, who burned it alongside garbage in the plaza. Aether arrived at the plaza, standing at its center, and took the megaphone. "We have won!"