"Think it over again."

Tomb sighed and earnestly said, "Submitting to the [Divine Court] is not a shameful thing."

"In the vast cosmos, the civilizations that can be driven by the Divine Court are only a few."

"I will try my best to help Earth... no, to help you buy more time."

"But the time I can secure is not much."

Tomb did not explain his reasons for doing so, merely gave Ma Ran a deep look before turning around, his figure fading and disappearing into the void.

Ma Ran slowly closed his eyes, activating the derivative ability of the [Prophet] medal, with the keyword set to "Divine Court," and began observing the future.

He quickly discovered that he could only see the words and actions of some Lower Rank Gods. The Middle Rank Gods belonging to the Divine Court seemed to be shrouded in a faint, indistinct mist, making it hard to see clearly.

However...

Honestly speaking, it didn’t have much impact.

Even if he could only see those "future fragments" of the Lower Rank Gods, he could deduce a lot of important information from the clues.

"Indeed, a terrifying force."

Ma Ran opened his eyes, and a brilliant light shone in them: "Although the Divine Court doesn’t see Earth as an opponent, only as an object of conquest and plunder, the Controllers of the Divine Court are determined to obtain Earth."

"At its root, the conflict is irreconcilable."

"We must prepare specific defenses in advance."

In a flash of thought, Ma Ran began to move.

...

Meanwhile.

United States.

Pushing up his thick glasses on the bridge of his nose, the one known as the [Mediator], Giles, tapped on the armrest, appearing composed and unruffled. However, his unintentional small actions revealed his inner tension.

Around the long table sat a group of middle-aged and elderly politicians, including the gray-haired, weathered elder he had seen last time.

The atmosphere in the conference hall was tense, with a sense of impending storm.

"When exactly is that person coming?"

Giles, still young, couldn’t help but speak out, "Don’t delay my reading! My time is very precious!"

He said reading, but he was actually devouring novels.

He was a voracious reader, welcoming all genres.

From fantasy, science fiction, mythology, martial arts, to competition, history, romance, horror, suspense, Giles read them all.

Recently, he was engrossed in a story about an Immortal King returning to modern times as a live-in son-in-law, deeply absorbed before being dragged here.

If it wasn’t for giving "that person" face, how could Giles obediently put down his phone?

Before everyone present could respond, a gentle male voice resonated in the room.

"Sorry, I dealt with a few alien invaders just now and was delayed a bit."

The speaker was tall and somewhat muscular, with short brown hair, light blue eyes, a high nose bridge, and smooth skin. He was quite handsome, even among Caucasians.

Seeing him, Giles immediately confirmed the person’s identity—[God] Gray!

Moreover, this was not the thoroughly divinized state of mind God, but Gray in his normal state!

Giles had seen him countless times through online broadcasts, but it was his first time being in close contact.

After all, as an "A-level Hero," he previously didn’t have the qualification to meet Gray.

Unless during special times when [God] was putting on a show, it was rare for non-National Guardian-level Extraordinary Ones to work alongside him.

Giles sharply noticed that the previously strong and assertive attitude of the elderly politician now showed a cautious demeanor in front of Gray, lacking the natural presence from before. Even his disguised "composure" appeared somewhat stiff: "You’re here, very well, then we can begin now..."

"Shut up."

[God] Gray glanced at him indifferently, speaking in a gentle tone as usual: "I didn’t allow you to speak, how dare you talk?"

"If you’re tired of living, I don’t mind wiping out you and your forces as a warning."

"Although I am no longer affected by Superpower Erosion, and my thought patterns have returned to a normal state, I have been through so much that I have determined my life goals and found the meaning of my existence."

"I will no longer be a pawn for you to manipulate, as I was before."

Here, Gray paused slightly, looking meaningfully at the white-haired politician whose face was extremely ugly: "The mysteries of [God]’s authority far exceed the limits of your imagination."

"In my eyes, ambitious people like you are the bane of the world."

"If not for your sufficient abilities and value, I would have taken action to kill all of you right now."

Such a domineering declaration left the book-addicted youth Giles shivering.

Completely unlike the legend!

This doesn’t look like the image of a benevolent person at all!

Didn’t these politicians spend great costs to buy information from Italy’s [Observer], claiming that [God] Gray had already returned to normal?

In what way was this normal?

Although he no longer always regarded himself as "God," this [God] Gray felt even more terrifying!

"I’m not talking about you, young man."

Gray glanced at Giles with a faint smile: "The Prophet once mentioned you to me, saying you’re quite good, a person worth trusting."

Upon hearing this, the esteemed [Mediator] was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses.

For some reason, Giles felt his heart pounding wildly, and the lazy blood in his veins seemed to become warm and lively, compelling him to want to do something.

At this moment, he felt a strong urge to work hard, improve every day, and contribute to the cause of world peace and stability.

"Sss..."

Giles drew a cold breath, silently thinking, "In my heart, the weight of [Prophet] and [God] is actually so heavy? It’s just a sentence..."

"Thankfully, I have strong self-control and restrained this impulse, or I’d be persuaded to the frontline again!"

[God] Gray shook his head with a smile: "You haven’t found your meaning yet, so I won’t force it."

"One day, you’ll ultimately discover..."

Halfway through speaking, Gray suddenly stopped.

He tilted his head as if listening to something.

A moment later, ignoring the politicians present, Gray looked at Giles with a peculiar gaze: "The Prophet wants me to tell you that in eight days, an [Apocalypse Level] crisis will arrive."

"The logic of no eggs being unbroken under a fallen nest, you should understand."

"If by then, you’re still thinking of hiding your strength, the situation will soon develop to an irretrievable point."

"Although Earth will not truly be destroyed as a result, human civilization will suffer heavy blows, with at most a billion people dying, but..."

"By then, no one will engage in cultural creation anymore."

"Games, comics, novels..."

"The development of these industries will all be declared stopped, even extinct."