Chương 90: Chapter 89: The Celestial Trial

The sun disappeared. Darkness swallowed the world. A blood-red eclipse spread across the heavens, turning day into an eerie twilight. Across the continent, every kingdom looked skyward in disbelief. The oceans stopped moving. The winds fell silent. Even the monsters hiding within the deepest forests fled toward the mountains. Something ancient... Something older than civilization itself... Had awakened. Above Ayanor... The eclipse continued growing until it covered the entire sky.

Golden lightning intertwined with black thunder, creating a colossal symbol visible from every corner of the world. Seven golden stars. Seven black stars. A circle surrounding both. Atlas's voice echoed through every living soul.

"The Celestial Trial has begun."

"All chosen bearers... prepare yourselves." The announcement transcended language. Whether human... Archon... Or Origin Beast... Everyone understood. Far beyond the mortal world... Within Heaven's capital... The Crystal Palace trembled. Countless Archons gathered beneath a magnificent throne carved from celestial crystal. Upon it sat Queen Seraphina. For the first time in thousands of years... The Queen stood. Her silver robes shimmered like moonlight. Her golden crown radiated divine authority.

Her sapphire eyes reflected countless worlds. She gazed toward the eclipse with quiet sorrow.

"It has begun..." Beside her, an elderly Archon lowered his head.

"Your Majesty..."

"Should we mobilize the Heavenly Legions?" Seraphina remained silent. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. After a long pause... She whispered,"No."

"They are already too late." Meanwhile... Deep beneath the world's crust... An endless prison of black stone cracked. Massive chains forged from golden Astra shattered one after another. Inside the darkness... Millions of crimson eyes slowly opened. The First Child smiled.

"So..."

"The Trial finally returns." His laughter echoed through the abyss.

"This time..."

"... the prison will break." Back in Ayanor... The battle had completely stopped. Black Sun warriors. Alliance soldiers. Royal Knights. Everyone stared toward the heavens. Even Kael looked surprised.

"So soon..." The Guardian slowly approached Rayan.

"I feared this day." Rayan frowned.

"What exactly is the Celestial Trial?" The old spirit's face grew grave.

"It is the world's final examination." Thousands of years ago... When the Dharma Astra was first created... Atlas made a promise. Whenever the balance between Heaven and Humanity collapsed beyond repair... The world itself would choose new champions. Not one. Not two. But several. Each representing a different path. The Trial would continue until only one future remained.

"The world..." Rayan whispered.

"... chooses its own saviors?" Atlas's distant voice answered through the heavens.

"And its destroyers." Without warning... Columns of light erupted across the continent. One... Two... Ten... Hundreds. Each pillar marked the appearance of a Trial Candidate. Rayan watched in amazement as one golden pillar descended directly upon him. Warmth filled his body. A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.

WORLD SYSTEM INITIALIZED Candidate: Rayan Ashvar Title: Heir of Dharma Astra Current Rank: Sovereign Candidate Virtues Awakened: Courage ✓ Leadership ✓ Remaining Virtues: 5 Primary Objective: Unite the Seven Virtues before the Eclipse Ends. Failure Condition: Extinction of Humanity.

Cassian blinked repeatedly.

"... Am I seeing things?" Another screen appeared before him.

Candidate Confirmed Cassian Valek Class: Storm Guardian Secondary Trial Participant Siena gasped. She had one too.

Candidate Confirmed Siena Eloria Class: Lotus Oracle Secondary Trial Participant Across the battlefield... A golden screen appeared before Aldric. Even Kael received one. For the first time... The Black Heir frowned.

Candidate Confirmed Kael Ardent Class: Black Sovereign Designation: Balance Breaker Kael laughed softly.

"So..."

"Even the world acknowledges me." Suddenly— A deafening roar shook the heavens. The eclipse cracked. From the center of the blood-red moon... A gigantic gate slowly opened. It dwarfed entire mountain ranges. Golden stairs extended from its entrance. At the summit stood seven empty thrones. Atlas's voice echoed once more.

"Ascend."

"Claim your virtue."

"Prove your right to shape the next age." The gates of the Celestial Trial had opened. Before anyone could move— A bolt of crimson lightning struck the battlefield. A figure landed between Rayan and Kael. A young woman. Long silver hair. Golden eyes identical to Seraphina's. She wore white armor adorned with celestial feathers. A broken halo floated above her head. Michael immediately knelt.

"Princess..." Everyone froze. Princess? The woman ignored Michael. Her gaze remained fixed on Rayan. After studying him for several moments... She smiled.

"So..."

"You're the one Father trusted." Rayan frowned.

"Father?" The woman extended her hand.

"My name is Lyra."

"Daughter of Arkan." Silence. The world seemed to stop. The First Dharma Heir... Had a daughter. And she had just stepped onto the battlefield. Far away, Kael's smile disappeared for the first time since the war began. Even he... Hadn't expected this. To Be Continue....