The Arbitrators were a moderately influential organization in the cosmos.
They followed the AEON of EQUILIBRIUM, HOOH, revered THEIR philosophy, and praised THEIR eternal dedication and patience.
Yet universal laws struggled to transcend time and space, forcing people to seek the beauty of "balance" within mundane worlds.
Thus, the Arbitrators tirelessly endeavored to erase extremes wherever they appeared:
Where beauty arose, ugliness resurfaced alongside it; joy concealed sorrow within; kindness inevitably gave rise to cruelty.
These phenomena existed solely to satisfy the Arbitrators' obsession with a "zero-sum" universe—their longing for cosmic EQUILIBRIUM.
Their power was often misunderstood in many worlds as the actions of "gods."
The Arbitrators existed everywhere, dispersed throughout the universe, yet they had a place to gather:
The Arbitrator Tribunal—where all Arbitrators congregated to listen to the commands of their AEON.
The Tribunal itself existed upon a planet half-black, half-white, and it stood precisely on the planet's dividing line.
Within the Tribunal, everything was mutually corresponding yet opposite—even the attendees seated at the great table were evenly split in number.
The Arbitrators seated on the pure-white side recounted how many lives they had saved from war.
The Arbitrators seated on the pitch-black side recounted how many evil beings they had eliminated.
Life and death casually flowed from their lips, their actions conducted under the watchful gaze of a massive stone statue in the center of the Tribunal—a statue of HOOH, the AEON of EQUILIBRIUM.
The statue's image was captured by chance, glimpsed by an Arbitrator during the second Anti-Organic War.
That Arbitrator had memorized THEIR sacred appearance, successfully carving and placing the statue in the Arbitrator Tribunal.
On the day the statue was placed here, the planet itself became split into its present state.
From that day forward, the Arbitrators knew all their deeds were observed by HOOH. The statue itself reflected the state of THEIR existence.
And today, as the Arbitrators passionately discussed achieving equilibrium in the cosmos, some distinctly inappropriate sounds interrupted them.
Krr—crack—crack—!
These sudden noises caused many Arbitrators to furrow their brows simultaneously.
Why was such discordant noise appearing in the Arbitrator Tribunal?
"Under the gaze of EQUILIBRIUM, even sounds must remain balanced," announced the eldest Arbitrator seated at the foremost position of the white side. "This disruptive noise has temporarily broken the harmony; let it cease immediately."
Under the observation of an AEON, their discussions should remain dignified and solemn. Such noise was wholly inappropriate here.
However, EQUILIBRIUM permitted occasional fluctuations, so he simply reminded the younger Arbitrators to silence their distracting devices.
After this brief reminder, the Tribunal resumed its spirited discussion.
Krr—crack—crack—crack—!
But just then, the dissonant noise returned, echoing sharply through the room.
Everyone instantly fell silent, desperately wanting to know who had produced this sound.
Yet when they followed the sound's source, they discovered it came directly from the eldest Arbitrator who'd just spoken up earlier.
In an instant, all gazes—whether from the white or black side—shifted in suspicion.
So, you're the thief shouting "catch the thief," huh?
The eldest Arbitrator himself appeared equally perplexed. No one matched his devotion to EQUILIBRIUM. Each time before entering, he removed every external item from his body.
He could guarantee he hadn't made that noise.
Then where exactly did it come from?
Krr—crack—crack—crack—!
Just as suspicion fell upon him, the inappropriate sound rang out again clearly.
This time, everyone finally pinpointed its source. Yet upon doing so, their expressions immediately filled with shock.
Their eyes widened as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight, their faces twisted with clear terror.
Because directly before all their eyes stood the statue of HOOH itself!
That statue was the first thing every Arbitrator saw upon entering, representing that their actions were being observed by their AEON.
This statue of HOOH had stood unchanged here for hundreds of Amber Eras—ever since its carving, utterly untouched.
"Wh-what is that?!" An Arbitrator's trembling voice broke the stunned silence.
Because now, that unchanging statue had visibly altered—and the cracking noises came from stones dropping off of it!
And this change upon HOOH's statue was unmistakable—impossible to overlook!
Clatter—clatter!
The sound of stones hitting the ground finally snapped them from their shock.
After surprise came indignation!
"How could something like this appear on HOOH's statue?!"
"This is blasphemy! This is desecration!"
Anger surged fiercely through them—precisely because of the sudden change in the eternal statue!
Upon the head of that solemn stone carving—hands clasped, eyes calmly surveying all—now appeared a distinctly visible mark.
Upon closer inspection, that mark was clearly—a footprint!
The emergence of this footprint shattered the perfect, symmetrical form of HOOH's statue, scattering small fragments of stone upon the floor.
The Arbitrators seethed with outrage. A footprint appearing upon HOOH's statue—this was an insult to all they believed.
"Who did this? Could it be those Masked Fools again?!"
Immediately suspicion fell upon infiltrators who might've carved this footprint onto their precious statue.
Throughout the cosmos, if anyone were likely to commit such an act, the Masked Fools unquestionably topped their list of suspects.
Those lunatics lived recklessly for amusement; no one knew what they might dare do.
Carving a footprint upon HOOH's statue, though sounding outrageous, perfectly matched their style.
Determined, the Arbitrators prepared to seek out the Masked Fools for an explanation.
Yet just as they stepped out of the Tribunal, the planet's perfect black-and-white equilibrium briefly flickered into disorder!
Simultaneously, an unsettling sensation trembled in each Arbitrator's heart, as if the cosmic order itself had momentarily stalled.
The very universal laws resonating with their Path had momentarily halted and destabilized!
All Arbitrators exchanged incredulous glances before returning their collective gaze toward the still silently observing statue.
Even now, the footprint upon the statue's forehead remained starkly visible—but their recent sensation revealed an even graver truth:
It was not the statue itself that had the problem—but their revered AEON.
The statue merely mirrored the state of HOOH; thus, when something happened to the original, the reflection naturally changed as well.
That meant…
"Someone has left a footprint…upon HOOH's forehead," one Arbitrator murmured, his voice trembling as he stated the shocking fact aloud.
Though this possibility was nearly inconceivable, it was the only explanation left that could match everything happening here.
Masked Fools might carve footprints onto a mere statue or briefly disturb planetary balance—but even they couldn't disrupt the universal order itself, causing it to momentarily falter…
No matter how improbable, only one possibility now explained everything clearly.
"Could it be…another divine war has erupted?"
The Arbitrators immediately began searching for the biggest topic currently circulating across the cosmos.
They desperately wanted to know what exactly had led to someone planting a kick right on HOOH's forehead.
But the current trending discussions mostly revolved around "Collapse of the Swarm Disaster Zone," and some players of Swarmfall inexplicably receiving Universal Peace Medals.
These Peace Medals were normally special honors granted only for rescuing countless lives during emergency campaigns, making most players suspect they were fake.
Besides these topics, the Arbitrators couldn't find anything remotely connected to a divine war.
Then, if no divine war had erupted, why had a footprint suddenly appeared on the forehead of the AEON they worshipped?
This footprint even destroyed the aesthetic of EQUILIBRIUM!
"Wait—I've got something here!" An Arbitrator's sudden call instantly drew everyone's attention.
They saw he'd found a video posted by an anonymous account.
The video opened in the deep darkness of space, but quickly zoomed in, showing all the Arbitrators an astounding scene:
An immense figure spanning multiple light-years—like an enormous stone sculpture, even larger than some stars.
That familiar face instantly revealed to every Arbitrator exactly who this was—the AEON they worshipped.
Additionally, the video thoughtfully provided a subtitle at the side:
[EQUILIBRIUM — HOOH (Nickname:Blockhead)]
"How dare they! Who dares call our revered AEON of EQUILIBRIUM 'Blockhead'?!"
"Blasphemy! The AEON of EQUILIBRIUM judges all! Whoever filmed this, your fate is sealed!"
The Arbitrators were instantly infuriated by this irreverent nickname. Yet simultaneously, another group of viewers burst into joyful laughter.
These were the Masked Fools. Upon seeing the nickname, they immediately recognized who was behind this.
"AHA really has guts! AHA really has influence!"
"Is AHA planning something big—like making a movie starring AEONs?"
The video continued, zooming in further, revealing a figure unimaginably small compared to HOOH.
Silver and crimson armor stood out strikingly, with intricate patterns upon its cloak radiating an alien beauty.
[Subtitle: An interesting guy.]
At that moment, confusion gripped both Arbitrators and Masked Fools alike.
Who was this?
They mentally searched through all renowned figures in the cosmos but couldn't recall anyone matching this appearance.
But this confusion didn't stop them from continuing to watch.
HOOH created a black hole, intending to consume everything. Yet in the next instant, that black hole was effortlessly absorbed by the figure, becoming nothing more than an object in his grasp.
The figure leaped across space, throwing a punch at HOOH—though it merely impacted THEIR protective shield, bouncing the attacker several star systems away.
Anyone imagining themselves in that figure's shoes would likely believe this fight impossible.
His opponent's body spanned multiple light-years. In front of that, a human was as insignificant as a virus.
This was a fight on entirely different scales!
Yet just then, the figure tumbling backward stopped abruptly in space. Several images began to glow upon his cloak—
A dragon's head, an eye, and something like a stone.
"If everything is woven by your hands, then as the last hope—I'll take it all back!"
'[OMEGA DRIVE KAMEN RIDER!]'
Brilliance gathered around his right foot, and all viewers instantly understood his intent:
"Wait, wait, wait—this guy isn't seriously going to…?!"
A roaring dragon emerged behind him, unleashing a deafening howl across the cosmos!
"If you're the foundation of the world, then I'll become the one that destroys it!"
Without any visible force supporting him, the figure slowly rose and launched himself forward in a flying kick!
At that instant, all viewers felt as if they'd accompanied him across countless star systems, appearing right before HOOH.
The barrier constructed of universal laws and fundamental logic had seemed impenetrable just moments before—but now, everyone witnessed the brilliance emanating from this figure intensifying dramatically!
Initially a mere speck of starlight, it rapidly intensified—into stars… then blazing suns… then supernovae!
"HYAAAAH!"
Anyone with even the slightest emotion could sense the passion in that shout.
As his emotions surged, the figure's cloak shimmered brighter, even as HOOH's protective barrier trembled violently!
Universal laws were shifting; foundational logic itself was fracturing!
[WHAT IS THIS…]
The barrier fragmented inch by inch until it completely dissolved—and that dazzling kick finally landed squarely on HOOH's forehead.
Seeing this, the Arbitrators turned reflexively toward the statue within their Tribunal.
They realized—astonished—that the footprint matched perfectly in placement.
After the impact, the brilliance stopped abruptly. Yet HOOH's colossal form—stretching across multiple light-years—was knocked violently backward through countless star systems!
When everything finally settled, the footprint on THEIR forehead remained utterly unmistakable.
THEIR EQUILIBRIUM was momentarily broken, and the hundreds of frozen light-years resumed their normal flow of time.
The video ended abruptly there, leaving every viewer staring blankly at each other.
The scene appeared exactly like a special-effects short—but who would dare joke around using a real AEON?
"It's fake! Absolutely fake!"
Naturally, the Arbitrators refused to believe such a thing. They furiously released their own statements online:
[Fake news! A special-effects short-film—utterly fabricated! The AEON—HOOH—could never experience such a thing!]
But immediately afterward, the Arbitrators received a notification about a sudden money transfer.
The sender was marked as: The Tavern.
Yet the accompanying message with the transfer nearly made them explode with rage:
[This is the repair fee for your statue. Please accept this small token of the Tavern's sincerity with our compliments.]
Amount transferred: 2500 credits.
Such a tiny amount could only be meant as an insult—enough merely to shoo away beggars!
"You Masked Fools! We Arbitrators will remember this!"
"And that silver-and-crimson bastard—he's hiding behind a mask, refusing to show his true face! It's definitely the Emanator of Elation!"
Subsequently, the Arbitrators and Masked Fools erupted into a massive flame-war across the Galaxy Net.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere, the seven-colored Möbius ring—now freed from constraints—began unleashing its true power.
Countless rays of brilliance rained down across the cosmos, granting countless beings a second chance at life in this moment of dazzling rebirth.
And amid that seven-colored rain of light, HOOH and Sora silently regarded each other across the vast expanse.