General Adams lay prostrate on the ground. Through the flickering live broadcast, the image froze on the screens of hundreds of millions of players around the world.
It was an act of utter humility: he had cast aside everything he once stood for and placed his fate entirely in another's hands.
Across the ruins, every cry, curse, and fleeing footstep fell still.
The surviving North American players stared at their former Commander-in-Chief. The man who had embodied the North American War Zone's last shred of resolve now lay sprawled on the ground in the most humiliating posture imaginable.
High above, the three impassive figures finally moved.
Night Cherry Tangle, holding the Sword of Sin Punishment, slowly raised his hand.
The motion was slight, yet it stirred the laws governing the entire world.
"The gate to the Divine Domain has been opened to you."
Night Cherry Tangle's voice remained flat, without a trace of emotion.
"But the Divine Domain offers no refuge to False Believers."
The moment he finished speaking, the magnificent gate of light on the horizon shuddered.
Its once gentle, holy radiance suddenly blazed with searing brilliance. Beyond the gate lay no peaceful vista, but a surging sea of fire made of pure light.
Those luminous flames seemed capable of burning away every falsehood in the world.
"Whether you find new life or destruction beyond the gate depends on what lies in your hearts when you enter."
With those words, Night Cherry Tangle set the terms of the final trial.
General Adams slowly rose from the ground.
He did not look back at his uncertain compatriots or raise his eyes again to the deities in the sky.
He merely straightened his tattered undershirt, then set off alone toward the gate of light that radiated destruction.
He did not walk