Chapter 8
The aftermath of the celestial clash still echoed across the heavens.
A once-proud battlefield now nothing but scorched skies and shattered peaks.
From the distance, divine envoys knelt… not from defeat, but from witnessing something they couldn't comprehend.
Zereth Kaine stood at the heart of it all his black cloak rippling in silence, shadow and lightning dancing around his form like spirits obeying their sovereign. The world dared not make a sound.
But peace is short-lived.
A golden portal opened midair, and from it stepped three terrifying figures beings known not just across realms, but whispered about in forbidden texts.
"That's… The Elder Tribunal of the Outer Divine Realms."
"They say even gods fear being judged by them…"
The crowd murmured, terrified, intrigued, unaware they were standing in the presence of something far worse.
Zereth didn't even look.
Elder Eros, Keeper of Eternal Judgment, stepped forward, towering and veiled in divine armor, voice like thunder across the skies.
> "Zereth Kaine... We have come to bind you, in accordance with the Law of Unbound Power. You've interfered enough."
The crowd gasped.
A law to bind Zereth? Was it possible?!
But Zereth, still not looking at them, simply raised a single finger and pointed toward the sky.
A moment later, the sky cracked open.
No magic circle, no chant just will. Pure intent. The Tribunal's expressions shifted. Their divine senses, honed across millennia, all screamed one thing:
"He didn't even face us. That wasn't an attack… It was a warning."
Then, a voice so low, yet it echoed across the void.
> "This is not your domain… nor your law."
One of the Tribunal, the youngest, Veyar, Flame of Balance, dared to step forward.
> "You've become arrogant, Kaine. You've forgotten what you were."
Zereth tilted his head slightly.
> "Forgotten? No. I simply grew beyond it."
Veyar launched himself forward, enveloped in flames blessed by a sun god, hurling a divine spear at Zereth's heart.
The crowd gasped.
And then… it stopped. Midair.
The spear trembled. Cracked. Disintegrated.
> "Did you think my silence meant weakness?" Zereth finally looked up.
And then… the ground beneath the Tribunal shattered into a crater a hundred miles wide. No movement. No spell. Just presence.
The crowd screamed. Some fainted. The gods who watched from beyond... turned away.
Zereth turned to the elder.
> "You've mistaken my restraint for submission. That was your last mistake."