What was that?!
Every player in Giant City looked up at the sky.
An eye-they recognized that, of course.
But...
None of them had ever seen an eye this big!
Even Broker, who had come prepared, was no exception.
At the sight of the eye occupying almost half the sky, Broker's breath briefly caught. But he recovered immediately.
"What an absolute honor!"
"We meet again, Your Highness the Witch."
As he spoke, Broker made a show of bowing.
But the enormous eye gave no reply.
It merely watched Broker and the people around him.
Then it blinked.
Instantly, all of Giant City began to shake.
The earth trembled and the mountains shook!
But this was no ordinary earthquake.
It was...
Splitting apart!
Cracks first appeared in the ground, then spread straight into the sky.
One after another, the residences of Giant City, supposedly absolutely safe, began to collapse.
In the space of a breath.
Giant City became a ruin.
What remained?
Only a platform.
A stone platform holding every player in Giant City.
That included both its permanent residents and those who had temporarily left Giant City.
Everyone exchanged bewildered looks.
They had no idea what had happened.
Then?
Most of them knew nothing more.
They turned into white motes of light and vanished one after another.
Those who recognized them instinctively reached out to grab their comrades and companions, but it was impossible. Their outstretched hands passed straight through the white motes.
Their efforts were futile.
"I told you."
"Wasn't it better to stay alive?"
"Even in a cage, wasn't it better to stay alive?"
Ling lay half-collapsed on the ground, muttering.
The muttering was quiet.
But on the deathly silent platform, everyone who remained heard it clearly.
Or rather...
Given the strength of those who "remained," they could