Two days later.
The starship departed from its station, the towering vessel sailing through the skies at an altitude of tens of thousands of meters.
Countless races looked up, gazing at the space fleet that blotted out the heavens.
"The Suniaster... the One True God..."
The thing they had fought for year after year, unable to obtain, had fallen into the hands of a civilization from another world.
Of course, at this very moment, no race dared entertain any unnecessary thoughts.
No movement on the planet could escape the surveillance of Sophon. Once they had submitted to the Starsea Empire, they had already declared their withdrawal from this game of contending for the Suniaster.
Aboard the Eternal Snowfall, all members of the Research Division, along with the former leaders of various races, had gathered together.
No one wanted to miss the historic moment of the Suniaster's manifestation. Einstein, Tesla, and the other scientists rubbed their hands eagerly, equipment prepared and ready.
Tohru, Elma, and the others from the magic side pressed their faces to the viewing windows, observing the situation below.
"Begin."
"The precise coordinates of the Spirit Corridor and the energy threshold required to pierce it have been calculated."
Nanobots tapped a few keys on the holographic computer, and the starship immediately locked onto a designated location.
Unlike the original method that required painstaking preparations and the use of Void Zero Protection, E-Bomb, and Heavenly Smite to pierce the planet, this process posed no difficulty at all for the Starsea Empire.
"Since we are not native species of Disboard, the rules governing the Suniaster's manifestation may follow a chaotic model."
Grey looked at the calculation interface and spoke.
"According to my projections, after the Suniaster manifests, there is a 52% probability it will appear before Nyarlathotep, a 46% probability it will appear before the Commander, and a small remaining probability it will appear before Tohru, myself, or Elma."
"In any case, it will definitely appear on this ship."
"...So the strongest individual has the highest probability of obtaining the Suniaster? ..."
Setsuna reached out and gently patted Nyarlathotep's head.
She had come purely for tourism and had hardly made a move.
"Eh?"
Nyarlathotep's ahoge twitched as she rubbed against him.
"Commander, I don't need that thing anyway. I'll give it to you~"
Pfft—
Setsuna pinched her cheek.
"Well, thank you very much."
Click—
The starship's main cannon locked onto the marked position below.
[All ships ready. Tachyon Lance overloaded to 260%.]
[Target confirmed. Fire.]
Woooong!!—
A beam of deep blue energy shot forth from the axial main cannon.
Its destructive power was weaker than the Fallen Star Lance, yet it was incomparably precise.
Within one-thousandth of a second, it pierced through the continent of Disboard at an exact angle.
Ruins and rock layers on the planet's surface were instantly torn open, creating a passage straight through.
From a distant vantage point, it looked as though the planet had been shot clean through.
Boom—
Rumble!!—
The energy unleashed by the pierced Spirit Corridor spread outward, enveloping the entire planet.
From the impact point, countless fissures extended across the land for thousands of kilometers.
At the same time, all magic on Disboard that relied upon Spirits instantly failed, and a blinding radiance engulfed most of the sky.
Everyone aboard the starship felt as though they had entered another space composed purely of energy.
Within their vision, there remained only endless white.
"Ooooooh—"
All the equipment the Research Division had prepared went into frantic error states.
The energy released by the Suniaster's emergence and the dissipation of the Spirit Corridor far exceeded expectations. Everyone was bathed in a radiant field of pure energy.
"Energy overload! The surrounding space is being distorted!!"
"Alert. High-energy reaction detected below."
The research lolis had no time to conduct studies and hurriedly deployed shields.
"So strong... This is..."
Jibril and the other Flügel covered their eyes to shield themselves from the piercing light.
Then—
Within the boundless white space.
Energy gathered and condensed into form, materializing into a star-shaped regular dodecahedral crystal before Setsuna.
It emitted a faint glow. Anyone familiar with magic could sense the immense power contained within.
"The Suniaster..."
Setsuna stepped forward. This was the throne symbolizing the One True God, contested by all the Old Deus of Disboard.
It possessed conceptual dominion over the entirety of Disboard.
The moment he touched it, a strange connection formed between him and the energy construct before his eyes.
Given his adaptability to the various power systems of different worlds, there was no issue of being unable to control the Suniaster due to not being native to Disboard.
Holding it in his hand, he carefully sensed the vast power contained within.
It was the "core" of the entire universe.
Within the No Game No Life world, the Suniaster held absolute authority over all Old Deus and all living beings.
The one who controlled it became the One True God of Disboard.
All life would be required, like the laws of physics and mathematics, to obey the rules established by the One True God.
If someone like Tet wrote prohibitions against killing, war, and plunder into a covenant, then violent conflict would forever cease to exist in this world.
It would become part of the world's operational logic.
Though certain loopholes might exist, no matter what, within Disboard, no one could violate the rules set by the One True God.
"..."
Setsuna pondered for a moment.
Click—
The Eternal Snowfall's equipment modules opened, and he installed the Suniaster into a designated slot within the starship.
With the authority of the Herrscher of Reason, he could construct any structure he desired at will.
Beside the Suniaster were the Cocoon of Finality, recently installed, and the Allspark supplying power to the propulsion system.
[Analyzing energy construct... 23%... 46%... 65%...]
[Analysis complete. Suniaster loaded.]
An indescribable, wondrous power surged into his body.
He felt his perspective stretch infinitely in an instant, gazing down upon the universe of Disboard from another dimension.
Everything within the world came into view.
The internal structure of the starship also began to change.
The Eternal Snowfall was no longer a purely technological creation. It simultaneously drove Wisdom Cube energy, the Cocoon of Finality, the Suniaster, the Allspark, and even the power of Outer Gods.
Different power systems fused together through the starship as a vessel, merging into one with himself.
Shhh—
As the light gradually faded.
Everyone looked up at Setsuna, who stood on the outer bridge of the starship, gazing into the starry sky.
A faint radiance surrounded him. Every being native to Disboard with magical aptitude could sense an immeasurable power emanating from him.
Far surpassing the Old Deus—so overwhelming that even all fifteen races combined could not compare.
Boom—
Setsuna clenched his fist. Massive magical energy, carrying immense pressure, radiated outward from his body.
Unlike Tet, a "God of Games" born from desire, Setsuna himself already possessed the strength to suppress all of Disboard. Now, having obtained the Suniaster and been granted divinity and divine authority, his power rose to an even higher level.
All life upon the planet gazed skyward in awe, witnessing the birth of the One True God.
"The wars of Disboard end here."
"I hereby proclaim the rule of the Starsea Empire."
Setsuna's voice was not loud, yet it spread clearly to every corner of the world.
"Under the Empire's governance, this world shall forever enjoy prosperity and flourishing."
Shhh—
The war-ravaged planet began to restore itself at a visible speed.
The atmosphere was reconstructed first from the outer layers of the planet, the dark crimson sky replaced by blue heavens and white clouds.
The scarred land—pocked with craters and fissures—was smoothed and repaired. Trees sprouted fresh buds, and the smoke of war dissipated into nothingness.
Dead zones left behind by battle blossomed once more with vitality.
"This is..."
Jibril, Think Nirvalen, and the others stared in shock at what was nearly a genesis-level miracle.
This was the One True God of Disboard—the holder of the Suniaster—issuing a divine decree upon the entire world, reshaping reality according to his will.
If the God of War had obtained the Suniaster, he would have turned the planet into an eternal hell of iron and blood. If the God of Forest had obtained it, Disboard would have become a jungle fit only for Elves.
If a god of the Seiren existed, perhaps the world would have become an endless ocean. The God of Games would have turned it into a grand amusement park governed by play.
Setsuna's vision and ideals were not limited to supporting a single race. What he sought was to bring the entire world under his dominion.
"The great war has ended. In the name of the One True God, I now decree—"
Setsuna spoke softly.
"All sentient intelligent life on Disboard is forbidden from killing and war. I promise you, as citizens of the Empire, equal enjoyment of peace and tranquility."
This was a divine oracle issued by the One True God. To Disboard, it was an unquestionable iron law.
"Ah... Lord God..."
Humans within settlements looked up at the sky, weeping with joy, kneeling without rising.
In the past, in the eyes of other races, they had not even counted as "living beings," no different from ants, struggling merely to survive.
At last, a true god had completely ended the war through divine decree.
Weaker races also breathed sighs of relief. Fortunately, the Starsea Empire was not so narrow-minded as to enslave them.
The endless war had come to an end. From this day forward, Disboard would enter a new era—existing as territory of the Starsea Empire.
Almost all humans believed this to be a good thing. During this period, they had already witnessed the vast might of interstellar civilization.
Perhaps certain stubborn individuals among some races harbored dissent, but not long ago, during the Empire's grand conquest, they had all been crushed into dust beneath the fleet.
"..."
Every sentient being on Disboard realized that they would now live under new rules and under the rule of a new god.
—The one who had come from another world, first conquering the world with thunderous force, subduing all races, then defeating the God of War and seizing the Suniaster—the unquestionable One True God.