Far beyond the mortal realm and the academy walls, a four-headed man, who had been sitting peacefully on a giant lotus, suddenly opened his eyes. He shifted his four hands, rising gracefully from his deep meditation pose. He appeared incredibly ancient, bearing long white hair, a flowing white beard, and a mustache.

  Dressed in a traditional white dhoti and a white shawl, the old man stood up abruptly. A rare look of shock crossed his ancient features.

  "The Lord has risen," he murmured, before completely vanishing out of the universe and slipping into the wider multiverse.

  He traveled through countless golden doors until he finally reached a realm known as the Eternal Sea. Waiting for him there was an impossibly massive, eternally long cobra possessing five heads.

  Resting casually on a section of the great serpent's coils was a figure that was a hundred times larger than the four-headed old man. He wasn't the only deity summoned to this grand gathering; Talestia, the Goddess of Reincarnation, and Arya, the God of Enjoyment, had also already arrived at the Eternal Sea.

  At the feet of the colossal figure sat a woman, just slightly smaller in stature, gently massaging his legs.

  Slowly, the gargantuan figure resting upon the five-headed cobra opened his eyes from his eternal sleep.

  He was none other than the Supreme Lord, the Multiverse Walker, the Preserver of the Worlds, the Creator of the Universes: Vishnu. The woman sitting gently beside him was the Goddess of money and fortune, Sree, also known as Lakshmi.

  And the four-headed man who had just arrived to bow before them? He was none other than the Creator of the Universes, Brahma.

  (Writer's Note: If you thought True Demons and Cosmic Destroyers were the top of the food chain, welcome to the actual management level of the cosmos.)

  Vishnu let out a long, universe-shaking yawn.

  "So, what is the report?" the Supreme Lord asked, his voice resonating through the fabric of space itself. "How's it going, Brahma? Talestia?".

  Brahma stepped forward, his expression grave across all four of his faces. "I talked to Narad Muni, and he told me that many universes are being destroyed," he reported heavily. "Not a single outcome leads to Leonis Death's defeat.".

  (Zero outcomes? That's not just a bad statistical probability; that's a guaranteed game over for the multiverse. No pressure, Ragna.)

  Talestia, the Goddess of Reincarnation, stepped up next, bowing respectfully. "I have done as you told me, my lord," she stated. "I have sent many heroes to the world. One of them has gathered two out of...".

  She trailed off, hesitating.

  "What is it?" Vishnu prompted gently.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Nothing much, my lord," Talestia replied, looking slightly uneasy. "It is just... there are 10 Sovereigns instead of 9 in this world."

  Vishnu didn't look surprised. In fact, he looked entirely knowing.

  "Indeed," Vishnu rumbled smoothly. "After all, it's the only universe where the God of Destruction's Sovereign exists. Where the person who lives at the common point of all universes and dimensions has left his Sovereign... where Shiva has left his Sovereign.".

  A heavy, awestruck silence fell over the Eternal Sea. The ultimate weapon of the God of Destruction was sitting right there in Xeria, waiting to be claimed.

  Meanwhile, standing awkwardly off to the side, Arya—the God of Enjoyment and the First King—crossed his arms and sighed loudly, completely ruining the majestic tension.

  "I don't even know why I'm here," Arya grumbled, looking thoroughly bored by the multiversal doomsday briefing.

  Vishnu shifted his cosmic gaze to the complaining deity, a small, knowing smile breaking across his gargantuan face. "Because your daughter's going to reach Divine Core and I will be giving her the Blessing.".

  Arya's casual, bored demeanor shattered instantly. He was completely shocked from the inside; neither his body nor his brain seemed to be working. "Ab bub wuh wuh da Fu—" he sputtered incoherently, utterly short-circuiting.

  Vishnu ignored the malfunctioning God of Enjoyment and turned his attention back to the four-headed creator. "Anyway, what was it, Brahma?".

  "Do you think that it will be the one standing?" Brahma asked.

  "Apparently, even I don't know," Vishnu replied calmly.

  Brahma's four faces mirrored identical expressions of profound confusion. "What do you mean?".

  "I don't know means I don't really know due to some reason," Vishnu explained, his voice resonating through the Eternal Sea. "I can't see its future. It is totally under Fate's control.".

  The fate of the multiverse is officially resting on the shoulders of a bunch of over-powered, emotionally unstable teenagers. Let's check in on them while the deities are talking, shall we?

  [Ragna's POV]

  Somewhere in the Academy, our favorite CEO-turned-demon was currently regretting every life choice that led him here. There was no snark right now, only cultivation, training, determination, and agonizing hard work. He was pushing his body, his new demonic metal hand, and his dual cores to the absolute breaking point. No corporate breaks, no coffee, just endless grinding to prepare for the end of the world.

  [Drake's POV]

  Miles away, the King's adopted son was going through the exact same grueling process. Sweat dripped from his silver hair as he pushed his divine, angelic powers to their limits. And there, glowing faintly on his neck, was the undeniable symbol of reincarnation.

  [Another Man's POV]

  And far away, completely removed from the Academy and the impending multiversal doom, stood another figure.

  Viewed only from behind, he had striking silver hair. He was dressed in a dark red robe, standing silently on top of a hill near an ancient shrine. He stood there entirely still, his hands crossed as he looked out over the landscape.

  And etched clearly onto the skin behind his neck... was the symbol of reincarnation.

  [Kai's POV]

  Meanwhile, the edgy, scythe-wielding grim reaper of the group was engaging in a completely different kind of high-stakes activity.

  Standing in a quiet spot, Kai raised his hand. "...Summon Destiny, Kiera Graphite," he chanted softly.

  A glowing magic circle materialized on the ground, and out stepped his beautiful, time-stopping girlfriend. They didn't go to war or break reality; they simply went on a date.

  Back to the Eternal Sea

  Brahma swallowed hard. "What about others?".

  Vishnu's expression grew solemn. "Neither survives," he stated with absolute finality. "But if your can, then the multiverse can.".

  A heavy, terrifying silence fell over the gathered deities before a collective, anxious cry rippled through them all.

  "Can the heroes do it?!!".

  He paused, the ultimate weight of his words settling over the gathered deities.

  "For me, the fate of the universe is unknown," the Supreme Lord declared. "That means that universe has an unknown fate... an

  Arcane Fate