Agree: 521696; Oppose: 0. The number on the left kept skyrocketing, while the one on the right stayed fixed at zero. BlueStar even threw a massive countdown timer in front of every living being, urging them to vote. It couldn’t force anyone to pick a side, but it had just enough tricks to nudge them. For example, fireworks lit up above the [Agree] option, while poison effects dripped over the [Oppose] one. Hurry up! Come on, faster! It even cut together a sneaky one-minute highlight reel of BS-Rita’s battles over the past 48 hours, set against a tragic, epic soundtrack. The final freeze-frame was Rita on the verge of collapse, facing the three Lania Kaia bosses. But the person in question clearly wasn’t on board. Rita frowned. "I don’t remember agreeing to be BlueStar’s judge." BlueStar replied, "Give me this chance. I’ll have no regrets." Rita and the three rabbits: ... BlueStar added, "BS-Rita, from now on BlueStar is your BlueStar. You can call me RitaBlueStar, or just Little Booze." Rita and the three rabbits: ... —Private Chat Channel— This text is hosted at Nove1Fire.net [BlueStar]: This woman has no heart... no heart at all!! [Nivalis]: Don’t say that about her. It’s not that she has no heart, it’s just not on you. [BlueStar]: ... Quick, say more, teach me more. [Nivalis]: Weren’t you the one who said this was disgusting? [BlueStar]: Yeah... but who knew that kind of sickly-sweet line would actually make her smile. [Nivalis]: Heh, that’s just how she is. Agree: 1575213910; Oppose: 0. Even after sealing off massive swaths of land, fewer than 1.6 billion people remained in the world, including the heroic spirits she had resurrected. But whether they were on the battlefield or not, every single one of them voted yes. Maybe it was because BS-Rita had pushed BlueStar’s beings to evolve again and again. Maybe it was because BlueStar broadcast her desperate fights over the past two days. Maybe it was because of her thunderous words, "Keep fighting until I fall." Or maybe it was because every legion commander and reputable player was spamming the world channel with "Agree!" and "Let her carry us!" Time, place, and people—everything aligned to bring forth BlueStar’s Judge. BlueStar almost screamed as it announced, "Congratulations! BlueStar Judge!" Immediately, a global announcement rang out. [BlueStar Announcement: Congratulations to the world of BlueStar. Player BS-Rita is now officially the BlueStar Judge!] The announcement stunned Rita into silence for several seconds before she found her voice. "...So you made me BlueStar’s Judge. What’s the point?" She didn’t believe BlueStar would do something meaningless at the final moment. BlueStar replied, "As BlueStar’s Judge, you now have the right to issue a gambling challenge to the Divine Game. You can gamble against gods or demons, with the Divine Game as the absolute, impartial referee." Rita asked, "Why didn’t you start the gamble before? You didn’t have the power?" BlueStar answered, "I didn’t. Only you can offer something the gods want. Only you can catch their interest." It explained itself. "Whether you accept responsibility as BlueStar’s leader, or decide to live and die with BlueStar out of emotion, it would mean you’re willing to stake everything for BlueStar’s future. You would place a wager, and you would fight with everything you have. "But you refused all of it. "Faith, duty, status, reputation—none of it could truly move you. "So now, BlueStar belongs to you. Every decision is yours. "You can check the privileges you hold as Judge in your mind and decide whether to gamble." BlueStar no longer hoped to take anything from Rita through empty promises. It had put everything on the line. It was also the choice of every BlueStar player. On the battlefield, the three rabbits walked up to Rita. The one in the middle asked, "Will you gamble?" Rita was still blind. She instinctively stepped back when she sensed them approaching, only stopping when one spoke. Tilting her head slightly, she focused on the voice. Losing her sight had sharpened her sensitivity to tone and cadence. Suddenly, she said, "Teacher?" Drummer denied it flatly. "Wrong person." Rita didn’t press. Instead, she said, "Here’s what I want: keep all existing Lania Kaia dungeon portals in BlueStar. Evacuate every Lania Kaia player above level 40. After that, Lania Kaia aliens can still arrive through dungeon portals, but at least ten billion must descend every day, and their max level cannot exceed mine. Also, lift the Lania Kaia Bone Shade curse on me. That’s the outcome I want. How do we gamble for it?" She had to stop the war, but not end it entirely. The game was already underway. Neither she nor BlueStar’s players could turn back. After killing three Lania Kaia leaders, she had reached level 40. Enemies below that should be manageable for the players who had survived this far. And the Bone Shade curse was a massive problem. Just like [Shabby Road], it couldn’t be removed by even an SS-class [Specialist Channel], nor could it be rolled back by [Foolishness Game]. She had already tried all that. When she finished stating her conditions, silence fell. Drummer had already received word from the gods and demons. "First of all, the Lania Kaia invasion cannot permanently be slowed as you demand. They’ve paid a huge price for this war. No condition can halt it forever. That would be unfair to Lania Kaia." His voice was steady. "The best that can be done is to delay the invasion as you described. Once the time is up, Lania Kaia will be free to descend without limit. That is their compensation. "Now you have two choices. "First, gamble with the gods. They will immediately honor your terms regarding Lania Kaia, halting the invasion. But in return, you must take first place in all five upcoming Divine Games. "If you succeed, Lania Kaia will be restricted for five years. After that, they can descend without limit, and the gods will also lift the Bone Shade curse on you. But if you fail, Lania Kaia will be unleashed immediately, descending as they did today, and you must hand over your [Wrathful Moon] and [Cat’s Ideal]." Rita frowned. "And the second option?" "The second is to gamble with the demons," Drummer continued. "They too can honor your Lania Kaia terms upfront, and they can unlock a time ability for you in advance. In return, you must take first place in the next three Divine Games, and before those three end, you must evolve your divine talent to SSS rank. "If you succeed, Lania Kaia will be restricted for two years. Only after that can they descend without limit. The Bone Shade curse will also be removed. But if you fail, Lania Kaia will be unleashed, today’s nightmare will repeat, the curse will remain, and you must hand over your [Foolishness Game], [Midnight Exile], [Mystic Force], and [Moment of Reversal]."