The Author's POV-Novel

"So, what do you think?" 

I asked while keeping an eye on Maylin, Gervis, and Brutus. 

Inside the main headquarters, which was located in the middle of the city, we were currently seated in front of a large wooden table.

The room was fairly large, and there was a pleasant breeze that continued to blow throughout it.

I felt rather comfortable here. 

"What do you want us to say?" 

Maylin's expression was one of bitterness as she looked at me. Moving her hair behind her ear as she leaned back in her chair before eventually smiling. 

"I'm not going to lie, it's great…" 

She paused, as if that wasn't enough. 

"…It's beyond impressive."

"I'm glad you think so." 

I felt my ego go up at that moment. It took a long breath for me to suppress my rising ego, and my expression turned serious. 

"Enough about the city. I'm actually here to talk about something serious." 

Hearing the solemnity in my tone, the atmosphere in the room immediately shifted, and the three of them sat up straight.

Seeing that I now had their full attention, I started to speak. 

"First things first, you should all be aware of what's currently happening outside of this planet, right?" 

The expressions of the three turned grim at my words. 

"How could we not know? We've already been briefed by the other forces. The situation is quite dire for them." 

Maylin commented, her expression beyond serious. When I turned my head to look at the others, I noticed that they all wore the same expression on their faces, and that's when I realized that their forces weren't doing any better than hers. 

"We…" 

Gervis started.

"…Don't think they'll last any longer than a couple more days." 

His words increased the tension within the room, and my expression changed in response. Although I somewhat expected this situation to occur, it transpired much more quickly than I anticipated.

"Huuu…" 

I took a deep breath. 

'This is much worse than I expected.' 

… If the forces were only able to hold out for a couple of days, then it just goes to show how powerful the demons really were.

Although I was certain that the demons had suffered losses in this war, they were still a major force at the moment, and the situation was rather grim. 

'It also looks like Jezebeth has won against the Protectors…' 

The very thought of it made my heart race. 

I had already fought against one, and I could hardly keep up with them in the fight that followed. 

It was the other me who ultimately killed him, and the thought that Jezebeth was able to get rid of six of them made my heart shudder. 

It appeared as though the distance between the two of us, which I had thought was getting smaller, had all of a sudden become even greater.

"Shit." 

Unable to hold back, I let out a soft curse. 

As I continued to mull over the various opportunities, I took a deep breath and raised my head to look at the others in the room. 

"I'll be frank." 

I shared what I concluded. 

"According to what we can tell from the current state of affairs, the Third Cataclysm will fall upon Earth in at most six months. That's if they're being generous to us." 

At the very least, one year of Earth time would be all the demon army needed to recover from the war fully. 

'Since the time difference between Earth and the planet where the war is taking place is only 1:2, then it's safe to assume they will be here within half a year.' 

By the time they fully recovered, Jezebeth would unquestionably open a portal and dispatch his armies to the surface of the earth.

When that happened...

"What should we do?" 

At this point, the others realized how dire the situation was, and their expressions deteriorated. Thankfully, none of them lost their cool, and everyone was able to maintain their composure.

I pondered for a moment before finally proposing. 

"It's not like the situation is completely out of hand." 

Everyone's gaze fell on me. 

Before they could even voice out their opinions, I continued. 

"…You've seen this place. You've seen Immorra, and you should know that the time here flows ten times faster than that of Earth." 

Everyone's mouth came to a stop. 

I continued. 

"The city… it's not exactly the biggest of sizes, but it's large enough to sustain all four races." 

I had planned all of this beforehand. 

In preparation for a potential migration, I tasked the dwarves with designing skyscrapers that would be capable of housing tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of people.

In addition to that, I had constructed a place underground where people could go to seek refuge. Even though I wasn't exactly sure how many people could stay in this place, I did know for a fact that it would be good enough to hold all four races. 

What remained of the humans and other races on earth was just about enough to fill the city. 

'Since the overall population of earth shrunk so much, unlike the billions in the past, it's safe to assume that the city is big enough to hold everyone in... I'm glad I planned in advance.' 

"Even though the city is still in its infant stages, I believe that it is almost ready to allow people to move in. There is a possibility that it will become quite crowded, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem." 

I turned to look at Maylin. 

"Also, if we use all of the resources we have, it isn't impossible to replicate the environment that we have on earth." 

It was no longer necessary to hoard resources, given the impending arrival of the Third Cataclysm. If there was ever a time when we were required to make use of them, that time had to be right now.

"If we put all of the cores that we've gathered to use, I have no doubt that we'll be able to bring the total amount of mana in this city up to four times what it is right now. In fact, it's entirely possible that we can have the mana density within the city match that of Earth." 

I alternated my gaze between Gervis and Brutus. 

"But that's not all. In this world, a half year is equivalent to about five years, so we can use this time to upgrade the artifacts and equipment that all of our armies have at their disposal. Moreover, we can also make the most of this opportunity by learning how to cooperate with one another."

Even though I wasn't present during the war between the demons and the three races in Idoania, I was still able to say with absolute certainty that the three races, had they been cooperating more closely with one another, wouldn't have been pushed as much as they had been now. 

They would have been able to significantly increase their power and possibly hold out for even longer had they been able to figure out how to consolidate their armies and coordinate with each other in a way that would make their attacks more efficient by working on the strengths and weaknesses of each race. 

"It is absolutely necessary for us to make the most of the remaining time we have in order to gain as much strength as we possibly can." 

I leaned my body forward on the table. 

"I understand that it will be difficult for you guys to give up all of the resources that you have hoarded for yourselves, but at this point, there is no longer a need to be concerned about the future. There will be no future if you keep the situation as is." 

Laying out everything that I had been thinking for a while, I was practically out of breath. 

"This plan of yours…" 

Maylin began speaking. 

She appeared to be in deep thought, and her gaze landed on me.

"What about the humans? Will they also come here?" 

"Yes." 

I readily nodded my head. 

"I haven't told them yet, and they probably won't be happy with the decision, but it has to be done." 

Earth… as much as it was our home planet, had to be evacuated. 

Sending them to Immorra was the only way to save as many lives as possible in light of the impending Third Cataclysm, and considering how dangerous it was for them to be there at the moment, it was the only option available.

"I won't be forcing those who don't want to go, though." 

I made it a point to emphasize the very last point.

Even though I had a genuine concern for the people, I was prepared to grant their wish to stay on earth if it was in their best interest to stay there. 

It was their choice, and I wasn't going to force anyone. 

"Hmm." 

Once more, there was complete silence in the room. Everyone had entered a state of profound reflection, and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of their own breathing.

'I've said what I wanted to say, so I guess it's up to them.' 

There was nothing else that I needed to say, and I was simply waiting for their answer. 

I didn't have to wait for very long for their answer, as the three of them turned their heads to face me after looking at each other, apparently coming to a decision together. 

Their mouths soon parted open, and they mouthed their decision to me.