The Silent Deity: Saiki Kusuo in Tensura

Far above the Cardinal World, in a realm untouched by light or shadow, Apollyon sat silently on a throne of obsidian feathers, wings folded, eyes glowing with eerie understanding. Before him floated a massive projection of the world below—lines of mana, forces moving across the map like strands of fate weaving a tale not even he had predicted.

He narrowed his eyes.

"The Storm Kingdom... Veldora. Their movements... too precise."

On the map, the generals of Storm Kingdom were repositioning their forces with surgical precision—each one heading exactly to the coordinates where angelic portals would descend.

Apollyon muttered, voice echoing across the void.

"This isn't normal. Not even Guy or Luminous could prepare this fast without inside knowledge... someone's watching. Someone's interfering."

He leaned forward slightly, wings rustling.

"It can't be Veldanava. He promised not to intervene... so who?"

He closed his eyes and sent another whisper across the ether, his thoughts snaking toward his most prized puppet—Rudra.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Empire, the golden flames of the sun were setting behind the marbled towers of the capital. The crimson banners waved quietly, but the streets buzzed with strange tension—soldiers moving quickly, armor being polished, weapons prepared, airships being fueled.

Velgrynd, the crimson dragoness, landed in front of the imperial palace with a soft yet scorching windstorm trailing her.

She had just returned from her visit to Guy Crimson—and it had been utterly useless. No clarity, no answers, only warnings and vague cosmic poetry.

But something was off. The aura around the palace was thicker, heavier. Tighter security, hushed conversations, sudden movements.

Two generals—Emperor Knights—rushed forward to greet her.

"Lady Velgrynd!"

"You've returned!"

Her golden eyes narrowed.

"Where is Rudra?" she asked calmly.

The generals exchanged glances.

"We... don't know. His Majesty left the capital this morning. He didn't inform us where he was going."

"He gave no orders?" she asked, frowning.

"Only to prepare the nation... and ready the divine signal tower."

Her heart skipped. Divine signal tower?

That's when another soldier approached her quietly, glancing left and right as if being watched. He bowed deeply.

"My lady... a word in private, if I may?" he said with a hushed voice.

Velgrynd raised an eyebrow but nodded. She followed him into a secluded corridor beneath the palace gardens. Once alone, the soldier pulled back his helmet. His identity was familiar—one of Rudra's close strategists.

"Forgive me, but I wish this to remain confidential. They are watching," he whispered. "But you must know... Rudra has activated Project Heavenfall."

Velgrynd's eyes widened.

"...What?"

"He plans to summon the Angels of Retribution, the Tenma. The portal array is nearly complete. The moment the countdown ends... the Storm Kingdom will be under siege."

Velgrynd's heart twisted in her chest. She grabbed the strategist by his collar.

"Why?! Why would Rudra risk everything by starting the Tenma War?! He swore—he swore to protect the world, not destroy it!"

The man looked down.

"I don't think it's him anymore... not completely. He talks to no one. He hears voices. He's always whispering to the air. Something is wrong, my lady."

Her grip loosened. Her hand trembled.

Velgrynd stepped back, her blood boiling—not from anger, but from fear.

"I have to find him. I have to stop him before it's too late."

Suddenly, a deafening gong echoed across the empire. The signal tower... had been activated.

Far away in the imperial observatory, Rudra stood alone, surrounded by glowing orbs and celestial diagrams. His eyes were bloodshot, hands trembling slightly as a silver sigil hovered above his head. He was muttering again, to no one in particular.

"They're coming. The Storm Kingdom is too dangerous. They know too much. They have someone. Someone who sees."

He gripped the edge of the altar as if holding onto sanity itself.

"We have to act first. Cleanse them. Erase them."

A cold whisper drifted into his mind.

"Yes... you must protect your kingdom, Rudra. They're the threat. They brought this upon themselves..."

Rudra's breath hitched. The whisper had been so... comforting. So familiar.

"Yes... Yes. I'll summon the Tenma. I'll protect the world. I have to."

The sigil above him turned blood red.

Back in the palace, Velgrynd burst into the room where Rudra's inner circle once gathered. Most were gone, but a few officers remained. She looked at them, furious.

"Where. Is. Rudra?!"

One of them bowed.

"At the summit of Mount Celestia, where the Gate Array is being aligned. He's performing the final rites as we speak."

Velgrynd turned, her crimson flames flaring across the walls.

"Then I'm going to stop this madness before it tears the world apart."

As she vanished in a flash of red, no one noticed the faint shadow that lingered in the far corner of the room.

A whisper rose from it—soft, insidious.

"Too late, Crimson Dragon... far too late."

Back in the Storm Kingdom...

Beneath the earth, where the sunlight could never reach, a miracle lay hidden—a city, glowing with life and hope.

The Storm Kingdom, ruled by the thunderous presence of Veldora, had pulled off an incredible feat. What once seemed to be a peaceful kingdom perched upon the world's surface was now revealed to have a secret far more impressive: a hidden city underground, prepared for a moment just like this.

Years ago, during one of his eccentric conversations with Veldora, the mysterious and impossibly intelligent Saiki had casually mentioned,

"If anything ever truly threatens this kingdom, why not have a whole city under the ground—quiet, hidden, shielded from everything above?"

At the time, Veldora had laughed, brushing it off with his usual booming confidence.

"HAH! An underground city? Like moles?! That's brilliant!"

Veldora took it seriously. But only his generals—Diablo, Testarossa, Ultima, Carrera, Benimaru, Souei, Geld, and Rigurd—knew the extent to which the plan had progressed. The hidden city was built beneath the Storm Kingdom, shielded by layer upon layer of magical barriers, rock, and sealing enchantments. None of the citizens had known about it. Not until now.

When the rumors of celestial war began swirling—when the whispers of Rudra's plan to summon the Tenma Army reached Veldora—he did not hesitate.

"Move the people," he ordered.

The evacuation began at dawn. Souei's shadow clones spread through the kingdom like silent lightning bolts, alerting the villagers, nobles, merchants, and all citizens.

Children clung to their mothers at first, confused. Elderly folks hesitated at the gates, asking questions.

"Is there danger?" one old man asked Rigurd.

"Not yet," Rigurd said gently. "But we don't wait for danger to reach us. We prepare for it."

"Where are we going?" a woman asked, clutching her baby.

"To safety," Testarossa replied, her smile calm but eyes sharp. "Follow the light. You'll see."

The people were led in groups through secret tunnels disguised as wells, statues, and even massive tree trunks. Once inside, they gasped.

What met them was a sprawling underground metropolis, glowing with soft azure lights powered by magic stones embedded in the ceilings. The ceilings were high enough to create a false sky, with projected images of clouds and even stars at night. There were:

Homes shaped like domes and towers, each uniquely designed by Carrera, who insisted on "a bit of chaos in every curve."

Restaurants and cafes, run by volunteer chefs who had migrated from the surface with the same passion.

Schools, with teachers stepping in as if nothing had changed.

Gardens and parks, their soil enhanced with nutrients by Geld and his earth-controlling skills.

A town square, with a huge fountain shaped like a spiraling dragon—Veldora's likeness, of course.

At first, the people were uneasy. But within a few hours, their nervous whispers turned into familiar laughter.

Children began playing near the artificial river streams. Couples walked in the hanging gardens. Vendors set up fruit stands and bakery carts. An older woman smiled as she bit into warm bread, saying,

"Feels like we've lived here all our lives."

While the people settled, the defenders of the Storm Kingdom moved with mechanical precision.

Benimaru, burning with silent resolve, led the coordination from a massive crystal table, where a 3D magical map glowed with troop placements.

Souei's shadows monitored enemy movement, scouts in every direction.

Carrera, eager for a fight, floated above the outer perimeter with a wild grin. "Let them come. I want to see if angels bleed."

Ultima and Testarossa, contrasting personalities, moved like flowing silk, positioning magical traps and support barriers across the frontlines.

Geld led the beastmen warriors, reinforcing walls with earth-bending might.

Gobta, surprisingly serious for once, barked orders to goblin squads, who—despite the tension—remained sharp, trained, and loyal.

Everyone was exactly where Veldora had told them to be. The storm dragon's words echoed in their minds like thunder:

"When the sky breaks open and the heavens fall, we will not tremble. We will rise with the roar of a thousand storms."

Now... they waited.

The skies above the surface were eerily calm. The wind had stopped. The clouds above had frozen like a painting. It was the silence before a divine scream.

Deep in the center of the underground city, civilians sat together watching a magical projection—a floating orb showing the surface in real time. Some prayed. Some clenched their fists. Some simply stared.

"Are they really angels?" a child asked.

"Not the kind you hear about in stories," said an older man. "These ones bring destruction."

"But we're safe, right?" the child whispered.

The man smiled softly, looking at the screen where the army of generals stood, unmoving.

"We've got dragons watching over us. We'll be fine."

And above it all, in a throne of lightning and clouds, Veldora waited, arms crossed, his eyes sharp and crackling with ancient power.

The storm would break.

But they were ready.