Under the watchful eyes of all life in the Little Garden, including the billions of gods, the form of Earth appeared on the screen.
Everyone was incredibly familiar with this azure planet...
However, the moment the planet appeared, the vast majority of them sensed that something was wrong.
"What is that? Such large satellites?"
Looking at the twenty-four massive satellites arranged like sky fortresses, and the relatively complete ecosystems within them, the pantheons were somewhat puzzled.
"They're preparing for interstellar travel," someone said, very confused.
If they could undertake interstellar travel, wouldn't the apocalypse on the planet be meaningless?
"No! That's not it! Look at their trajectories—they're completely different. Rather than interstellar travel, it looks more like they're fleeing!"
"Fleeing? Why are they fleeing? Could it be that Earth is in danger... Wait, look at Japan!"
Puzzled by the satellites' trajectories, the crowd watched as the image of Earth zoomed in. What was different from a normal map was that the entire continental plate of Japan was marked in red, symbolizing extreme danger.
Why was all of Japan red?
Just as this question arose in their minds, a young boy's voice sounded from the live broadcast.
"According to the detection of Third Stellar Particle concentration and activity, the Japanese continental plate is undergoing intense geological activity. A super-Plinian volcanic eruption is highly likely, and when superimposed with the continuous energy of the Third Stellar Particle, it will cause a starburst phenomenon codenamed the 'End Emptiness.'"
The boy's voice was extremely grave.
"If that day comes, the entire Earth will be destroyed, and the solar system will be affected!"
Following the boy's explanation, the camera pulled back further. Only then did the gods realize that what they had been seeing was a satellite view displayed on a high-definition screen. They were actually looking at the inside of a scientific research laboratory.
But more shocking to the gods than the speed of modern scientific development was what the boy had said.
Although the highest-ranking gods had long suspected something similar, the truth was a super-Plinian volcanic eruption amplified by the Third Stellar Particle.
Some might not have been familiar with the technical term, but they could at least understand words like "starburst" and "affecting the solar system." They immediately understood that this was a cataclysmic disaster.
And the name of this disaster was confirmed to be the "End Emptiness."
In that instant, they all understood Su Mo's purpose in showing them this world.
This was the human world's resistance against the End Emptiness. If they succeeded, the world of the Little Garden might be able to replicate their path to success.
But was it truly possible to defeat the End Emptiness with human strength alone?
Pinning all their hopes on mere humans—could such a strategy really work?
Even Canary herself was not entirely certain of the outcome, and she watched the broadcast with intense focus.
Under the anxious gazes of everyone watching, the boy on the screen looked up at his companions in the Salvation Team. "Before this, we had identified two paths to counter the End Emptiness."
"The first is the escape route: prepare space fortresses, form a starship civilization, abandon our home planet, and wander the cosmos from now on."
"The second is the direct confrontation route: find a way to prevent the End Emptiness from erupting." Saigō Homura's clear and concise explanation quickly won the favor of the pantheons.
To fight or to flee—these are generally the only two strategies when facing a crisis. And to organize human civilization to commit fully to both strategies in the face of a starburst-level crisis was no easy feat.
"That sounds pretty reliable!"
"Since the people of this world identified the problem in advance, doesn't that mean it's really possible to overcome the End Emptiness?"
"Even if they can't solve it head-on, they can at least escape, right? Maybe the future of human history is truly a starship civilization?"
The pantheons, who had originally thought humanity unreliable, suddenly felt a surge of confidence.
The plans Saigō Homura presented might not have been brilliant, but it seemed like they might actually succeed.
Just as the vast majority of them were beginning to feel hopeful, the boy's expression remained grim.
And indeed, Saigō Homura paused, his tone shifting.
"But now, based on the progress of the past few years, we have encountered insurmountable problems. The theoretical success rate for ensuring the continuation of human civilization has dropped completely to zero."
When these words were spoken, it wasn't just the billions of gods and everyone in the Little Garden outside the screen.
Even the members of the Salvation Team inside the screen, who were listening to the report, were utterly stunned.
"No, how can that be?! Even if the End Emptiness can't be stopped, we can't even escape?"
Kudō Asuka's eyes widened as she voiced the question that the billions of gods were dying to ask.
"The young lady is right! But didn't they say it could be solved through environmental simulations? How did it suddenly become an insurmountable problem?"
Izayoi also frowned deeply, asking in confusion.
He was aware of the progress on these projects, but they were nowhere near the point of being declared a lost cause.
But now, Saigō Homura had directly negated the results of both paths.
For someone who knew his own younger brother, this was an incredibly unbelievable turn of events.
Given the rigor with which Saigō Homura operated, it was impossible for him to have made such a judgment without conclusive evidence.