A Really Big Scapegoat

Boom!

The entire planet was covered, plunged into sacred radiance.

All humans and living beings unleashed Spirit Bombs, their souls and energy completely drained, turning them into withered corpses that collapsed onto the ground.

Whoosh! Within the immense golden beam, countless phantom forms of soul energy flickered in and out of sight. They followed the vast Elemental Tunnel Diga had created upon arriving, crossing the boundless cosmos as though passing over a Cosmic Bridge into the distant Land of Light.

"You actually...!?"

The Three Pillar Gods immediately made their move.

"You want to stop us? That's simply impossible!" With a boom, Diga used all his strength to entangle the Three Pillar Gods, protecting the people of the entire planet as they entered the Elemental Tunnel.

They could not defeat them, but they could hold them back.

They had never intended to confront them head-on or win through force, because that was utterly unrealistic.

"You truly planned this well."

The Three Pillar Gods suddenly stopped. Knowing they could not stop them, they slowly said, "So you never intended to save the people of the entire planet, because you knew you could not save them at all. From the very beginning, you shared Caroline's thinking. You joined us in slaughtering all living beings, intending to divide the energy of the apocalypse among yourselves!"

Clearly, they were killing as well.

"If you can't beat them, join them."

Diga stopped fighting and silently returned to the beam. "This era is destined for destruction. No one can stubbornly persist to that extent. None of us are pedants. Rather than struggle, it is better to adapt to the circumstances."

The Three Pillar Gods did not follow.

It merely stood quietly upon that lifeless planet, watching the beam withdraw as it said blandly:

"What an unpredictable group.