As Amaterasu finished recounting her harrowing account, a heavy silence fell over the chamber. The Diamonds exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of concern and disbelief. White Diamond, her form radiating an almost painful brightness, leaned forward slightly, her eyes fixed on the sun goddess before her.
"Amaterasu." White Diamond's voice echoed through the vast chamber, carrying both power and a hint of empathy, "Your tale is... troubling, to say the least. A being capable of erasing gods from existence is indeed a threat beyond the ordinary scope of our concerns."
'So, this Universe has a version of the Chaos King? An aspect of Oblivion is definitely not going to be a minor nuisance. Where the Hell is that nosy bird when she's actually needed.' White thought to herself.
Yellow Diamond's head turned sharply to her mother, with her unable to believe that she was even contemplating it. "White, surely you don't intend for us to involve ourselves in this conflict? Our responsibility is to Gemkind, to our empire. We can't risk everything for-"
White Diamond raised a hand, silencing Yellow mid-sentence. "Our empire, Yellow, exists within the fabric of reality. If this Amatsu-Mikaboshi is as powerful as Amaterasu claims, then there will be no safe corner of the cosmos. We cannot afford to ignore this threat. He would come for us eventually anyways."
Blue Diamond, her aura pulsing with waves of emotion, nodded in agreement. "We've faced universe-ending threats before, but this... this feels different. The erasure of an entire pantheon of gods... it's unprecedented. When was the last time an entire Pantheon was wiped out? The Aztecs?"
Grey Diamond's form seemed to flicker as he added his thoughts. "The strategic implications are staggering. If this entity can consume divine beings and grow stronger, traditional warfare may be worse than useless. Unless we are prepared to wipe it out all at once, we could be looking at a potential disaster."
Black Diamond, his presence a void of light in the luminous chamber, spoke last. "We must also consider the impact this news will have on our Gems. Fear of such a cosmic horror could destabilize our society further, especially in light of recent events."
White Diamond nodded, considering each of their perspectives. Finally, she turned back to Amaterasu. "Goddess of the Sun, we have heard your plea. The Diamond Authority will not stand idly by while reality itself is threatened. We will aid you in your fight against the Chaos King."
Amaterasu's eyes widened, a glimmer of hope shining in their golden depths. "Thank you, White Diamond. Your support may be the turning point in this cosmic war."
White Diamond's expression remained impassive, but her voice carried a note of determination. "Do not thank us yet, Amaterasu. The war has only just begun."
Amaterasu was then escorted out of the room, leaving only the Lords of the Diamond Authority to remain.
She turned to address her fellow Diamonds. "Yellow, begin mobilizing our armies. Every Quartz soldier, every battle-ready Gem must be prepared for war on a scale we've not seen since the war against Dormammu."
Yellow Diamond straightened, her posture rigid with purpose. "It will be done, White. Our forces will be ready."
She left immediately afterward, wasting no time in gathering her forces.
White continued, "Black, I want you to implement a full planetary lockdown. No one enters or leaves Mars without my direct authorization. We cannot risk word of this threat spreading uncontrolled through our empire. Any Gems off world are to remain on Level 7 Lockdown."
Black Diamond nodded silently, his form seeming to absorb the light around him as he teleported out of the room.
"Grey." White Diamond's gaze turned to the shadowy form of Grey Diamond, "You have a crucial role to play. We can use this war to our benefit, especially after the ramifications of your S.P.Y. Initiative. Spread the word of this common threat throughout our Gem population. Unite them against this cosmic enemy. But be careful - we need determination and unity, not panic."
Grey Diamond's outline sharpened as he focused on his new mission before teleporting out. "I understand, White. I'll craft a message that will inspire our Gems without causing undue fear."
White Diamond then addressed Blue. "Blue, go to the Head Magistrate. Inform them of the situation and begin making preparations for potential large-scale evacuations in case the battle gets onto a grander scale. We must be ready for every contingency."
Blue Diamond nodded, her eyes shimmering as she departed and spoke. "Of course, White. I'll see to it immediately."
Finally, White Diamond turned to the last of her fellow Diamonds. "Brown, I have a special task for you. You will be one of the co-leaders in our fight against the Chaos King. Your scientific knowledge and tactical abilities will be crucial in formulating a strategy against him. I'm sure you have some untested weapons that could be useful."
Brown Diamond's eyes lit up with intellectual curiosity, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "A fascinating challenge, White. I'm honored to accept. But if I may ask, who will be the other leader? Yellow, perhaps?"
White Diamond's glow intensified slightly. "No, Brown. I will be personally leading this fight alongside you. The Chaos King is a threat that requires the full might of the Diamond Authority: Me."
Brown Diamond's eyes widened in surprise. He opened his mouth as if to question further, but White Diamond's stern gaze silenced him before he could speak.
"That will be all." White Diamond said, her tone brooking no argument. "Go now, all of you. We have much to prepare and little time to do so."
White Diamond remained on her throne, her mind racing with plans and contingencies. After a moment, she stood, her form seeming to grow even larger as she made a decision.
With a thought, White Diamond transported herself to her personal dimension, with her summoning the lanterns of emotion to her, looking at them with intrigue.
Here, in this place of absolute privacy, she could focus her full attention on the cosmic puzzle before her.
She knew that the Prehistoric Avengers were still active, with her detecting Odin and Agamotto fighting alongside the Starbrand just a few months prior.
Yet now, when an entire pantheon of God's were wiped out and no one was present to protect the Earth from the Chaos King, none of them were heard from or even detected.
White Diamond closed her eyes, extending her consciousness across vast gulfs of space and time. Her power, unmatched among Gemkind, allowed her to sense disturbances in the cosmic order on a scale few beings could comprehend.
She searched for the unique energy signatures of the Prehistoric Avengers, expecting to find them either already engaged in battle with the Chaos King or fighting some other threat in a foreign Dimension. But as her awareness spread further and further, she found... nothing.
White Diamond's eyes snapped open, a frown creasing her luminous face. "Impossible." she murmured to herself. "They cannot simply be gone. They're too useful for that."
She redoubled her efforts, pushing her senses to their very limits. And then, at the very edge of her perception, she felt it - a faint trace of the Prehistoric Avengers' power. But it was wrong, distorted somehow. It took her a moment to realize what she was sensing.
"They're... outside the universe?" White Diamond's voice echoed in the empty dimension, confusion evident in her tone. "For what?"
She contemplated this new information, her mind working through countless possibilities at lightning speed. The Prehistoric Avengers, guardians of reality itself, were beyond the boundaries of their universe at the very moment a threat like the Chaos King emerged.
"They're never there when truly needed." White Diamond mused, a hint of irritation coloring her words. "Always arriving after the crisis has begun, cleaning up the aftermath rather than preventing the catastrophe. This is why there useless to the common individual."
But even as she voiced this criticism, a nagging doubt gnawed at her. This circumstance... it felt wrong. The timing was too convenient, the coincidence too great.
"Something is not right here." White Diamond declared to the empty dimension. "This feels... orchestrated. But by whom? And to what end?"
"No. Those aren't the questions that matter. Was it against me?"
She filed away these questions for later consideration. For now, there were more pressing matters to attend to. With a thought, White Diamond transported herself back to the Diamond Authority's stronghold on Mars.
She materialized in the grand assembly hall, where the combined might of the Gem empire's military force had gathered. Row upon row of Quartz soldiers stood at attention, their forms a rainbow of colors and variations. Battalions of Rubies, squads of elite Jaspers, teams of tactical Peridots - all awaited her words.
At the forefront stood Yellow Diamond, her posture rigid and her eyes blazing with determination. Beside her was the Royal Guard, a select group of the most powerful and loyal Gems in the empire. Brown Diamond stood slightly apart, his eyes gleaming with intellectual curiosity even in the face of impending cosmic war.
And there, silent and watchful as always, was Black Diamond. His presence seemed to create a void in the light-filled hall, a reminder of the darkness they were about to face, with the Royal Guard standing behind him.
As White Diamond took her place at the head of the assembly, a hush fell over the gathered Gems. Every eye turned to her, awaiting the words that would send them into battle against a foe beyond their comprehension.
White Diamond surveyed the assembled forces, her expression unreadable. In this moment, she felt the full weight of her authority, the responsibility she bore not just for Gemkind, but for all of reality.
"My Gems." she began, her voice carrying effortlessly to every corner of the vast hall, "We stand on the precipice of a conflict unlike any we have faced before. The enemy we prepare to face is not a rebel faction, not a rival empire, not even a cosmic entity of known parameters."
She paused, allowing her words to sink in. "We face a being of primordial chaos, a force that seeks to unmake reality itself. This enemy, this Chaos King, has already erased an entire pantheon of gods from existence. He threatens not just our empire, not just our way of life, but the very fabric of the cosmos."
A murmur ran through the assembled Gems, a mixture of fear and determination rippling through their ranks. White Diamond raised a hand, and silence immediately fell once more.
"I do not hide from you the gravity of our situation." she continued. "The battle ahead will be unlike anything you have trained for, unlike anything you can imagine. We will be fighting not just for our lives, not just for our empire, but for the right of reality itself to exist."
White Diamond's form seemed to grow brighter as she spoke, her light filling the hall with an almost tangible sense of power and purpose.
"But know this, my Gems: we do not fight alone. We stand united, not just as an empire, but as part of the grand tapestry of existence. Every star, every planet, every mote of dust in the cosmos stands with us in this fight. For if we fall, all falls with us."
She gestured to Yellow Diamond and the Royal Guard. "You will be led into battle by the finest commanders our empire has ever produced. You will be armed with weapons and strategies crafted by the brightest minds in the universe."
Her gaze swept over the assembled forces once more. "Each of you, from the mightiest Quartz to the smallest Ruby, has a role to play in the coming conflict. Each of you is a vital piece in the grand strategy that will save our reality. I have faith in each and every one of you."
White Diamond's voice rose, filling the hall with a clarion call to action. "We are Gems! We are the inheritors of a legacy that stretches back to the dawn of time. We have faced cosmic horrors before and emerged victorious. We have built an empire that spans galaxies. And now, we will stand as the bulwark against chaos, the last line of defense for all of creation!"
A cheer erupted from the assembled Gems, a roar of determination that shook the very foundations of the stronghold. White Diamond allowed it to continue for a moment before raising her hand once more for silence.
"Prepare yourselves." she said, her voice now calm but no less intense. "Hone your skills, check your weapons, steel your resolve. For soon, we go to war. Not for conquest, not for glory, but for the ultimate prize: the continuation of existence itself."
As the Gems began to disperse, moving with purpose to make their final preparations, White Diamond turned to Yellow, Brown, and Black.
"Yellow, oversee the final military preparations. I want every soldier, every ship, every weapon ready for immediate deployment."
Yellow Diamond saluted sharply. "It will be done, White. Our forces will not fail you."
White turned to Brown Diamond. "Brown, I need you to work with our top scientists. We need weapons capable of affecting a being of pure chaotic energy. Attempt to integrate mystical means into this. Conventional arms may not be enough."
Brown Diamond's eyes lit up with the thrill of the intellectual challenge. "Fascinating. I have some theories already. We'll begin work immediately."
Finally, White addressed Black Diamond. "Black. Ensure that the Royal Guard is equipped enough to handle this threat."
Black Diamond nodded silently, his form seeming to fade slightly as he prepared to delve into the shadows of the cosmos.
As her fellow Diamonds moved to carry out their orders, White Diamond stood alone for a moment, gazing out over the bustling activity of their stronghold. The fate of all reality now rested on their shoulders, on her shoulders.
And yet, in the back of her mind, that nagging doubt remained. Why now? Why were the Prehistoric Avengers absent at this crucial moment? What larger game was being played here, with this entire universe as the board?
With a flash of brilliant light, White Diamond teleported away, ready to make her own final preparations for the cosmic war that loomed on the horizon. The Diamond Authority, guardians of the Gem Empire, were about to face their greatest challenge yet. And the fate of all existence hung in the balance.