Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 432: Heavenly Gods And War God

”Special Quest means that we are not the only people here,” Avery said calmly.

”So more people are attempting the Quest?” Isaac asked.

”No, it’s different.” She shook her head. ”They are not attempting the Quest. Rather, it should be said the System brought them here.”

”...?”

Both Isaac and Alice looked confused.

”Think of it as some other people are dreaming and have joined the Quest through dreams. They will not receive any rewards, nor will they know they are inside a Quest.

”They are dreaming of the past—of this exact moment—so they will act naturally.

”They don’t remember anything about the ’present’, just like how you forget things when you are dreaming.

”However, once they wake up, they will remember what happened here,” she explained.

”Wait... so they’ll remember us too?” Alice questioned.

”Yes.”

”That sounds... dangerous,” Alice commented.

”It is. That’s why the System warned us to be careful about our choices. If you anger someone, make them curious about you, or do something that makes them chase you in the real world later, it could have consequences.” Avery paused briefly before adding, ”I explained the same thing to Selene earlier.”

Selene gave a small nod but didn’t speak.

Isaac rubbed his temple. ”That’s a bit problematic. Can we know who is dreaming and in the Quest with us?”

”We cannot. And normally I would tell you to move extremely carefully because of that. But don’t worry too much,” Avery replied.

Isaac raised an eyebrow.

”The people likely to appear in this Quest are old monsters,” she continued. ”They were alive during this era, and they survive into the future. They already understand how Special Quests work. Even if they remember your actions after waking up, they won’t react irrationally. Just... don’t cross any obvious lines.”

Isaac nodded slowly.

Even with reassurance, the idea bothered him. Acting freely while knowing someone might remember everything later felt like speaking in front of an unseen audience.

Avery gave them a moment to absorb the information before continuing.

”There is more. You asked what is happening right now, correct? It’s... the beginning of the Apocalypse. The Sword Empress is trying to stop it.”

”...what?”

The word slipped out of Isaac before he could stop himself.

Instead of answering immediately, Avery reached into her pocket and pulled out a small rectangular device. It looked ordinary, and almost outdated compared to System constructs.

She tapped its surface.

A faint hum filled the room, and a projection appeared across the ceiling.

Isaac and Alice instinctively looked up.

Then both of them froze.

Selene’s reaction was no different, even though she had clearly prepared herself for this moment.

”This is the current footage of the moon,” Avery said.

Before they entered the Ladder of Heavens, the moon had been same as the one in Isaac’s previous world.

He thought it would be same now too.

But the image above them shattered that expectation instantly.

The moon was cracked.

It had enormous fissures spreading across its surface like broken glass.

Deep red clouds covered almost half of it, swirling slowly as if alive. Some areas glowed faintly beneath the cracks, suggesting something inside was burning or collapsing.

”The Apocalypse has already descended on the moon. The Moon is going to be destroyed... and it will fall.”

No one spoke.

”And after that, the Apocalypse will descend on Earth. The Sword Empress and the War God are trying to stop it.”

Alice finally broke the silence. ”Stopping the Apocalypse from reaching our world... is connected to the Ladder of Heavens?”

”Yes.” Avery nodded. ”After the moon is completely destroyed, the Apocalypse will use the Ladder of Heavens — the connection between Earth and Moon — to descend. The Sword Maiden’s goal is to destroy the Ladder itself so the Apocalypse cannot reach Earth.”

Isaac frowned. ”Destroying the Ladder... would trap everything on the moon.”

”Exactly.”

Avery nodded.

”The Moon Dragons plan to fight on the moon. If they fail, they intend to retreat through the Ladder of Heavens. But if they escape that way, the Apocalypse will follow them. That is why the Sword Maiden wants the Ladder destroyed.”

Alice’s expression hardened. ”So she’s choosing to sacrifice them.”

”Yes.”

The word was simple, but heavy.