Chapter 71: What in the Zodiac?

"Welcome, everyone. Let us introduce ourselves," the man in white began, his voice resonating with authority. "I am Han, the Zodiac of Wisdom and Leader of the Light Zodiac."

At his side, a figure dressed in a stark black suit stepped forward. His presence was a void, swallowing the light around him. With a chilling calmness, he introduced himself. "I am Haben, the Zodiac of War and Leader of the Dark Zodiac." His voice was devoid of emotion, as cold as the abyss.

Han nodded, acknowledging his counterpart before continuing the introductions. He gestured to the ethereal woman beside him. "This is Seraphina, the Light Zodiac of Benevolence." Seraphina was a vision of purity, her white hair cascading like a waterfall of silk, her eyes shimmering with compassion. She wore a white dress trimmed with royal blue, exuding an aura of grace and tranquility.

Next were the twins, easily distinguishable by their contrasting appearances. "These are Elyon and Elysa, the Light Zodiacs of Loyalty." Elyon was tall and imposing, with hair the color of dawn and a stern, protective demeanor. Elysa, on the other hand, was petite and delicate, her smile warm and welcoming, yet there was a fierceness in her eyes that spoke of an unbreakable resolve.

The introductions continued, each Zodiac more impressive than the last. There was Caelum, the Light Zodiac of Justice, his presence a beacon of righteousness. Then came Alara, the Zodiac of Diligence, her very essence cleansing the space around her. Finally, Han introduced the last of the Light Zodiacs, Thalor, the Zodiac of Kindness, who radiated an aura of deep intellect and understanding.

With the Light Zodiacs introduced, Haben stepped forward once more, his gaze sweeping over the geniuses as he introduced the Dark Zodiacs. "This is Zaldora, the Dark Zodiac of Prudence."

Zaldora grinned wickedly, her sharp teeth glinting as she eyed the gathered geniuses. "I'm hungry. Can I eat one of them?" Her voice was a sultry purr, yet her words were laced with a sinister intent that sent shivers down the spines of those present.

Haben ignored her request, his face an unreadable mask as he continued. "Next is Malek, the Dark Zodiac of Bravery." Malek was a towering figure, his muscles rippling beneath his dark armor, his eyes blazing with an uncontrollable fury.

Then there was Nyx, the Dark Zodiac of Nightmares, her form shifting and shadowy, her presence a constant reminder of the horrors that lurked in the darkness. Following her was Ravos, the Zodiac of Deception, whose smile was as deceptive as his nature. The next was Veera, the Zodiac of Elegance, a creature of seductive beauty and dangerous allure. Last of the Dark Zodiacs was Moros, the Zodiac of Deception, his skeletal figure draped in a tattered cloak that seemed to absorb the very light around him.

Han stepped forward once more, standing beside Haben as they addressed the group. "Together, we form the Celestial Guardians."

"The protectors of the Celestial Kingdom," Haben added, his voice a low rumble that resonated through the hall.

"We rule over all the other gods," Han explained, his tone matter-of-fact.

"And all the other demons," Haben concluded, his words dripping with finality.

The ten geniuses exchanged glances, confusion, and intrigue dancing in their eyes. Despite their vast knowledge and power, little was known about these beings—the Celestial Guardians—who stood before them. They were entities shrouded in mystery, although below the Deities, Celestials, and Divines, they were somehow existing within their own unique hierarchy. Their purpose was to watch over the realms and in maintaining order within the three mortal realms, a task that placed them in a league of their own.

Finally, one of the geniuses stepped forward, a woman with fiery red hair peeking out from beneath her silver mask. Her voice was strong, tinged with a hint of defiance. "Where is God? You brought us here to see him, but he is obviously not here."

Han's expression didn't waver as he responded. "Worry not, they are already here. It's just that you can't see them because they don't want to be seen."

The woman stiffened, her eyes widening in shock. "W-What?!"

The others shifted uneasily, glancing around the hall, their senses heightened as they tried to detect the presence of the two most powerful beings in the three realms. The tension thickened, and for a moment, silence reigned, broken only by the sound of their shallow breathing.

And then, without warning, a burst of white light filled the room, blinding everyone within it. The light was pure, radiant, a force of overwhelming power that made even the bravest among them tremble. It lasted only for a few breaths, but in that time, the air was charged with a divine energy so intense that it left them all reeling.

As the light receded, the ten geniuses stood in stunned silence, their hearts pounding in their chests. The message was clear: God was indeed present, watching, waiting, and they were far beyond the comprehension of even the greatest minds of the realms. 

When the light receded, two figures appeared. The group of the Zodiacs had now stepped aside and the two beings stood Infront of everyone. The Light Zodiacs stood on the right, while the Dark Zodiacs stood on the left.

One of the beings radiated warmth and an eternal white light adored him, while the other had a demonic aura around him. He had black curly horns and fiery red hair. He only wore trousers and had tattoo markings on his upper body that looked like they were made from blood. He nonchalantly stood with his hand clasped before him.

The other was godly and majestic. It terms of looks, they looked like twins but we're clearly very different. He had long white hair and grey eyes. The two had an aura that suffocated everyone. The young geniuses felt like they couldn't breathe in the presence of the omniscient beings.

"Heirs, you are now in the presence of God and the All Spirit," Han explained to the young geniuses.

"Behave properly or you will be punished." Haben had an angry and scary expression. The Zodiacs looked all calm and collected.

"Welcome, children. I am God, The Heavenly Emperor." The being with white hair spoke first.

"And I'm Ruak." Ruak had a nonchalant demeanor and expression.

"I suppose you all know why you have gathered here today." God began.

"It's to participate in the Zodiac War. You will all..." Ruak began explaining but stopped mid-sentence as if he was annoyed by something. A few minutes passed before he continued, "A few years ago, God and I decided to choose a successor to take our place in ruling the Universe. The reason was pretty simple; we never wanted the throne, nor did we want to rule."

"Millennia ago, we fought in a war between the Gods following the revolution of one Deity. In an unexpected turn of events, we both found ourselves on the throne at the end..." Ruak's expression changed, visibly upset.

God looked at him before taking over, "Millenniums ago, there was a single Celestial Universe made up of 9 Realms. The Seven Heavens and the two Mortal Realms. After the first War of the Gods caused by the Dark God, the Seven Heavens were sealed away from the two Mortal Realms."

"We lived in peace and harmony, and mortals were loyal to us. They prayed and offered generous sacrifices to the Deities. But one day, a deity who was unsatisfied with their power planned a rebellion to obtain more. Or predecessors sacrificed themselves to seal him away and save the world from calamity. Unfortunately, the worst came to pass: the Celestial Kingdom was divided and fell into dire straits and the Earth was devastated. The former two realms had now become the known three realms, with the Shura realm descending the lowest.

Ruak regained his composure and resumed the story, "Mankind began to thrive again slowly, but not without effort over the years. Following the cataclysm that occurred, we could not allow such an event to happen again. Unfortunately, restoring order in the three realms has drained a lot of our power and we become weakened. So we looked for different ways to find a solution to this problem but without success."

"Then, one day, we heard about the art of 'Koduku'. It was a form of black magic from the ancient civilization. It involved locking several venomous insects in a jar and letting them fight each other. The survivor was then used to cast spells because it was deemed to have accumulated the strength and concentrated poison of the other killed insects. This is how we came up with the idea of the Supreme God War in which we would pit various mortals with different skills against each other. Only the strongest or smartest of the Heirs would be able to rise above the others and absorb the Spiritual Universe Energy to become the Supreme Young God."

"We decided to employ the help of the Zodiacs in order to aid us with this huge task. You see, it is our power that keeps the realms balanced. If we were to disappear and no one with enough power was there to replace us, the entire universe strata would eventually crumble and disappear with the universe. This is why we decided to put power before benevolence, all because of lack of time." Ruak finished explaining and everyone remained quiet. Some were surprised, others extremely confused and some, carefully attended to what the gods were saying to have as much information as possible.