As Kellhus was blindsided in TUC, so will the Dunsult in TNG.
Yes, I think I've been thinking about this all wrong - the whole TNG and Consult has been terrifying to read in the books, but from a historical perspective, The Inchoroi have been a disaster .. Point is, our expectations have been thwarted at every turn - so here we're crying in our beers over the ending of TUC only to discover in the next books humans will rise ...
You could really replace that story of the Inchoroi with pretty much any story of any main character and it plays out exactly the same.
Kellhus. Moenghus. Xerias. Conphas. Esmenet. Achamian. Proyas. All of them.
Even minor characters: Inrau. Xin.
Entire races: Nonmen. Emwama. Inchoroi.
Can anyone point out a main or minor character that achieved success? Has anyone won?
Really, humanity at large has been the only winner.
The Cuno-Inchoroi wars allowed for the-breaking-of-the-gates and their usurpation of the land of plenty. It lead them to their Nonmen tutors which ushered them into the age of bronze, iron, agriculture, and trade.
Even The First Apocalypse did little else but remove more completely the remaining Nonmen. Its not like it plunged them back into a millennium of tribalism or something.
The lead up to the Second Apocalypse untied humanity under one flag in a way even modern humans would strive for. How different would our world be with but 1 religion, 1 ruler, 1 consistent rule of law applied equally throughout the world?
The Inchoroi's fear lead humans (Dunyain) to usurp not only the Consult and the remaining aliens, but also gain control over the machinations of the gods - or at least the means to remove them from the playing field.
Humanity is, and has always been, the winners of this story. They have vanquished all foes, all aliens, all those that might bond them to slavery. Humanity will become a race of self-moving souls unlike any the universe has ever seen. Masters of a destiny entirely to their own making.
Granted, humans suck and will probably turn the world into a living hell rather than Eden itself, but that's their own fault. Can't be blaming Gods, Aliens from Space, and Aliens under the Mountains at that point.
They are left with only themselves, and by themselves they will parish or live - but at least that choice is their own.