(23) Alea iacta est.

Empyrium.

Forbidden Zone.

Aldrich stood with his usual posture with his hands in his pocket while still donning his pitch-black tuxedo and snow-white overcoat. In front of him is a colossal cocoon that's flickering with white, black and golden colors.

Tadashi Kevalin is undergoing a metamorphosis!

Using his 'Trinity Eyes', Aldrich removed the blessings given by Veldanava along with his name and responsibilities embedded on his soul and renamed him after Tadashi swore allegiance to Aldrich. It was a painful process since the Creator of the World was involved and a tremendous pressure almost pulverized Aldrich, proving his speculation that Veldanava is still alive and is watching over his creations.

Tadashi has been enveloped by the evolutionary cocoon for more than 10,000 days or a little over 27 years and it has not even showed the tiniest bit of slowing down!

7 days has already passed by in the real world and the Tenma War raged intensely and Guy Crimson was fuming as the Triskaideka that was so arrogant in his castle has never appeared and the Angels wrecked havoc in the World. But that has nothing to do with the Empyrium as they steadily accumulate unbelievable strength.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

As Aldrich was staring intently at Tadashi's metamorphosis, 4 powerful beings appeared behind him.

"Aldrich, he is a direct servant of Veldanava and carries the most potent blessings of the Creator. Isn't it a bold idea to erase the blessings and hand out our own?" Keanala asked but there were no fluctuations in her voice.

The rest of the Horsemen nodded their heads in agreement and awaited the response of the Supreme Ruler of the Empyrium.

Aldrich listened to them and turned towards and responded calmly.

"So what?"

He smiled towards them and asked.

"The Invincible 4 Horsemen are scared of a dead being?"

The 4 Heavenly Emperors looked at the unfamiliar Leader in front of them and there hearts skipped a beat.

For the first time ever since their resurrection. Aldrich answered cleanly and directly regarding his goals.

Kamuina was the first to recover and asked while stammering, "A-a-aldrich, could it be..."

Aldrich interrupted him with a calm nod yet they can also sense determination and indifference within those scarlet eyes of his.

"When the Triskaideka wakes up, send them out immediately." He said as he turned his back towards them again.

"Finally!" Kalahi shouted as an intense pillar of flame erupted from him. It was so intense that it penetrated the 2 Heavens below and the inhabitants of the Empyrium could still clearly perceive it and the more sensitive ones could still feel the overwhelming heat emanating from it.

---

Black Haven.

"Those are the flames of Lord Kalahi!" Leo shouted in her rough feminine voice.

'What's happening up there?' Virgo thought to herself as her 8 spider legs swayed in confusion.

"Let's take a look!" The hot-headed Aries suggested and all of them immediately took off and flew up towards the Forbidden Zone.

"Nobody move." However, in the middle of the flight. A huge bluish white western dragon blotted the sky and blocked the 11 Zodiacs!

"Mother Zodiac, what the hell are you doing?!" Scorpio asked angrily as orange fog started to leak out from him.

Shing!

"Move out of the way, Mother Zodiac." Libra demanded as he unsheathed the Pseudo God-Grade 'Banished Whisper'

"What's your reason for stopping us, Mother Zodiac?" Aquarius asked gently but her approach was extremely aggressive.

Pisces, who reverted back to her Dragon form, looked at the Zodiacs with her aquamarine colored draconic eyes.

"Don't act rashly, those flames seemed harmless but did you forget who released those flames?" Her loud voice that seemed like a roar of a tsunami was a stark contrast to her gentle voice in her human form.

Her reminder bought the Zodiacs back to reality as they finally realized that those are not simple flames, but the 'flames' of the 'Heavenly Blaze', the Bearer of the Southern Gate, and one of the Heavenly Emperors, Kalahi.

Above all others and only below one.

"Pisces, we get what you mean but don't you want to know why the flames of Lord Kalahi suddenly erupted?" Taurus asked in his aged voice.

"I do want to know but if you insist on satisfying your curiosity, I won't stop you any longer just bear in mind that none of us can resist those flames." Pisces advised gently as she returned to her human form and just stood in place.

The Zodiacs, who were hot-blooded just awhile ago, were frozen in place after realization struck them.

Those are not ordinary flames, can we withstand it?

---

"Idiot!" Kailani smacked the back of the Kalahi's head as she rebuked him.

Splash!

Kailani's very own aquatic aura dispelled the raging temperature of Kalahi's emotions.

"Your fire is too strong for the current Empyrium! Retract it!" Kailani shouted as she angrily instructed the high-spirited Kalahi.

Ouch!

Kalahi pouted as he held his head with both hands and looked at Kailani with teary eyes.

Kailani's heart softened upon seeing the pleading eyes of Kailani, however, Kamuina was annoyed at the behavior of the Horseman as he smacked powerfully the back of the Kalahi's head!

Thud!

"Argh!!" An excruciating cry of pain echoed as Kalahi overexaggerated the pain.

Aldrich watched the exchange between his Heavenly Emperors with a smile as he just let them do their thing.

Swoosh!

After ensuring the safe progress of Tadashi's metamorphosis, Aldrich tried mending his plans to perfection

-----

---

-

7 days later in the Real World.

Cardinal World.

15 imposing figures stood proudly in mid-air as they conversed with one another. Below them were the terracotta-like soldiers with domineering auras.

"Alright, let's go with the plan we made beforehand... I hope to still see everyone after the war." Doryu said with his hands behind his back as his long beard swayed in the wind.

"I'll lead my legion to go first. I'll treat all survivors to a drink after this." Milano said as he boarded Davion, his mount and Lieutenant, and shouted towards the 11th Legion and flew in the distance.

"That little bastard! He left us behind!" Amar said angrily as she ordered Crixalis, her Lieutenant, to gather the 6th Legion and followed behind Milano.

One by one, all Legions spread out to their assignments and assisted greatly in the war against the angels. They spread out and roamed the world like a mindless beast, killing off humans and angels that get in their way. Instead of assisting the Cardinal World in this Armageddon, they finally bared their fangs to the world and started a 3-way war that will go down in history!

The flames of war that have extinguished by the combined efforts of all the inhabitants of the Cardinal World have once again blazed forth on the world!

The forces of the Empyrium wrecked havoc unscrupulously!

They would destroy everything that belongs to the weak and they will retreat without hesitation whenever a powerful being descends.

The Enneagon was at a loss at the guerilla tactics, they continued to suffer casualties and damages from both the Angels and the Empyrium. The World's Barrier is slowly losing strength with the continuous onslaught of the war.

Tempest Federation.

Ever since the disappearance of Rimuru, Tempest has became the central headquarters of the world. All important meetings were conducted here and almost all of the powerhouses that this world could offer are protecting this place.

Bam!

Luminous Valentine slapped the meeting table so hard as her veins in her face were visible and her heterochromatic eyes were blinded by rage.

"How shameless can you be! I sent my forces to intercept the Angels yet you allowed my domain to be ravaged by beasts?!" She berated everyone present as her aura spread out.

"Can anybody tell me what the fuck is the Empyrium?" She continued her questioning angrily.

Luminous' anger did not dissipate in the slightest as her chest heaved up and down as she tried to calm herself down and after several minutes of total silence, she sat down elegantly and returned to her indifferent behavior.

"We have no information regarding this Empyrium that those monsters are claiming they're fighting for. For now, we could only speculate that it is a hidden organization." Hinata said after Luminous calmed down a bit

"If it is a hidden organization, why couldn't any of us detect it?" Benimaru asked towards the participants of the meeting.

"Kufufufu! Your train of thought is a little twisted. What if they are not a hidden organization, but came from a place like the Infernal Realm and the Otherworld?" Diablo said smugly.

"It doesn't matter anyways, when Great Rimuru returns, he'll sweep these obstacles away!" He then proclaimed loudly, showcasing his unwavering belief in Rimuru.

Guy and the rest of the oldest Demon Lords just looked at them silently. Even the childish Milim wore a solemn expression on her immature face. None of them have any answers to the Empyrium right now and the chaos bought by the Angles have yet to be dissipated.

Feldway and his main forces as still cooped up in the Heavenly Star Palace, weakening them and bidding their time patiently.

The threat on the horizon has yet to be mitigated and then a 3rd party is already wrecking havoc!

As Veldanava's mediator, Guy Crimson was fuming as smokes were being released from his every pores!

'I knew it! Those bastards are not simple!' Guy cursed inwardly.

'Keanala, you hid extremely deeply. The next time we meet, I'll crush you and your so-called Empyrium!' He swore internally.

All Powerhouses the world could offer have different opinions and all of them remained silent until a solider rushed in and shouted.

"Milords, the Empyrium is raiding the Domain of Demon Lord Dagruel! Their forces as already clashing with the Giants in the Barren Lands as we speak!" The soldier said as he tried catching his breath.

All creatures present wore solemn expression and as if this piece of information was the catalyst, all Demon Lords received transmission from their territory!

The Whole World was besieged by the Triskaideka and the Dragon Corps while all of them were burning their ass of in Tempest.

-----

---

-

Barren Lands.

A 100-strong group comprised of different magical beasts and creatures were marching orderly towards the depths of the Barren Lands. In front, two giants were imposingly walking with dignity as their aura was unrestrained.

"Commander Amar, isn't this too reckless? We are heading towards the heart of a Demon Lord." Crixalis advised his longtime Commander.

Amar turned her huge head at this Lieutenant and said sarcastically, "Who are you? My Lieutenant is not as cowardly as you."

The usually stoic Giant Lieutenant froze in place and his head turned red in embarrassment.

"What nonsense! Even a Demon Lord has to kneel in front of the Supreme Lord Aldrich!" Crixalis shouted as the sands around him responded to his high spirits.

These kind of sight are everywhere!

In all the domains of the Demon Lords, the Otherworld and even in the infernal Realm!

It was as if the Triskaideka and the Dragon Corps are announcing a message throughout this universe that a God will soon descend and dethrone the overdues!

-----

---

-

The depths of the Otherworld.

The full might of the Zodiac are encircling a huge slumbering mass of shadows, darkness and everything in between of it.

For the very first time since their establishment, the Zodiacs are donning their actual battle gears and are emanating endless desire to kill to quench their thirst!

Ever since they were all named, they have done nothing but train non-stop inside the accelerated time of the Empyrium.

All of them were swearing internally that this could be their only chance to make a move, as such all of them were prepared to attack with full power towards any enemy they face!

"Geez! I can't take it anymore, this atmosphere is so tense to the point that I can't breathe." Gemini said casually as it started to break the ice between the Zodiacs.

"Stupid Pixie. With your miniature body, of course it will be difficult to breathe." Capricorn said roughly but he also started to smile.

"Well, you have a huge body but your brains is even smaller than me." Gemini said as he shrugged his shoulders.

Hearing the banter between the Pixie and Giant Zodiac, the rest of them started to chuckle and loosen up a bit.

"Sigh! I really wanted to stretch here in the Otherworld, but the mission takes priority so I could only wait." Aries said lightly while cracking her shoulders as she held unto her 'Epilogue', a pseudo God-Grade staff.

"How about we spar with one another to pass time?" Scorpio grinned as he walked toward the Cryptid Zodiac while whipping around his pseudo God-grade Rope Dart, 'Malignant Justice'.

"500 years of my life. Scorpio loses."

"10,000 strikes on my chest. Scorpio loses."

"I'll attack first when that thing finishes its evolution. Aries loses."

As soon as the Cryptid and Demon Zodiac started to play with each other to pass time, the rest of the Zodiacs placed bets on them with unconventional things.

This place where these creatures are so carefree is the eternal prison of the World-destroying dragon Ivarage.

The Otherworld.

The place of Origin of the Cryptids and the Insectars, a different plane of reality and is considered a living hell because of the non-stop wars.

Halloween Carnival, the evolution into an Evil God.

Ivarage has germinated intellect and emotions and is currently dreaming as the Zodiacs encircled him.

They may look like they are wasting time, but they were actually moving while maintaining their formation.

One particular Zodiac was eyeing closely the throbbing mass of darkness and shadows with her aquamarine human eyes.

'His evolution is only half complete yet he is already within our range of powers.'

'I can see now why Lord Aldrich sent all of us here.'

'He would reach the stage of a Horseman when he finishes, and that is already unstable since he just awakened.'

'He will surpass the Heavenly Emperors if he consolidated his evolution.'

'Our best time to launch an attack is the very moment he opens his eyes.'

The Dragon Zodiac thought to herself as she was raring to go. As the First Zodiac, she never step foot on the battlefield, all her life as a Zodiac was spent on training. As a creature created for war, she always wanted to wreck havoc but she controlled it to the extreme since she was their mother.

Sigh.

"I will have to wait. I can't mess up Lord Aldrich's goal because of my impulses." She muttered as she sat down closely to Ivarage and fell into deep thought and closed her eyes.

On the other side.

The Elven Zodiac and the Gozu Zodiac were chatting casually like A Granddaughter and a Grandfather.

"The only Elves that stood out in the Sierra are the Commander and the Lieutenant of the 1st Legion of the Triskaideka, I've never heard of Your Grace before." Taurus said as he sat down leisurely on his created earthen rocking chair.

"You really reeks of solitude, even though you speak so politely. You don't care whether I answer or not." Aquarius said while smiling.

Taurus just smiled and laid down in his chair.

"I am the youngest Zodiac. It only makes sense that no one in our group knows about me prior to my joining of the Zodiacs." Aquarius revealed softly. Her biggest insecurity is her age. Perhaps the only woman who cares about getting older. As a Zodiac, she was strong enough to deter the whole Empyrium but when it comes to the Black Haven, she was one of the most inexperienced ones.

"You may be young but you completely changed our perspective towards the Elven Race." Taurus praised genuinely.

Aquarius blushed slightly as she received the praise. The Black Haven was not a place for the soft of hearts, it was a place designed and dedicated for only the strongest.

A Zodiac praising a Zodiac has never happened before so she doesn't know how to react to it.

"I only thought that the Elves were only capable of wielding magic to extreme levels." Taurus said slowly as he was still laying down.

"But you completely revolutionize the Elves as you could fight Libra with the sword. You can exchange blows in hand-to-hand combat with Aries. Your marksmanship is so remarkable that only Sagittarius could out perform you. And your magic defined the Zodiacs." Taurus looked at the Eleven Zodiac.

"A Jack of all trades or in your case, an Elven of all Trades." Taurus chuckled slightly.

Aquarius fell silent at the praise of Taurus. Taurus was one of the Oldest members of the Zodiac, he may seem lazy and laid black but his strength is definitely up there. As they say, the older you get, the stronger and wiser you are.

"Well, that's enough talk about me. I want to know how you manage to join the Zodiac, Taurus." Aquarius shifted the topic and asked the Mezu Zodiac.

Taurus looked at the endless darkness and his gaze softened as he reminisce the old days.

"I'll tell you a little secret, young one." Taurus said as he finally sat properly on his chair.

"The seat of Taurus, Gemini and Cancer were all inducted at the same time." Taurus smiled towards the shocked Aquarius.

"But I thought that searching for a Zodiac was like searching a needle in the haystack. How did 3 of you manage to appear at the same time?" Aquarius asked hurriedly.

"You are only half correct. After the the 3 of us occupied our seats, the next Zodiac to be inducted was 2 centuries later... Apparently, our quarrels in the mortal domain awakened our latent talents and potentials after thousands of bloody battles, that's the reason why we all rose at the same time." Taurus said patiently.

"So, you were enemies with Gemini and Cancer already before becoming a Zodiac?" Aquarius asked skeptically.

Taurus just nodded his head and said calmly, "Unfortunately, we share that long of a history."

Aquarius fell silent as she digested these secrets.

"Just to make sure, how long have you occupied the seat of Taurus?" Aquarius asked shyly.

"Hmm... I've lost track of time already, but it should be around 17,000 years." Taurus said as he caressed his white beard.

Aquarius stared with wide open eyes. She couldn't believe it, at most she thought that her gap with the oldest Zodiac was just a mere thousand years! She never thought, not even in her wildest dreams, that there would be a 10,000-year gap!

"Then, do you know how many years has Mother Zodiac occupied hers?" Aquarius asked another question.

"Aries was inducted only several centuries before us, but even she didn't know when was Mother Zodiac occupied the seat." Taurus shook his head regretfully as he too wanted to know the tenure of Pisces.

Aquarius was again left dumbstruck!

Pisces, a monster even amongst the Zodiacs, was already seating in her seat before Aquarius was born, or maybe even before 19 generations of her lineage was born!

A True Monster!

"Can you beat Pisces?" Aquarius whispered but Taurus heard her clearly.

"Don't be foolish." Taurus laid down once again and sighed heavily.

"She's league above us at this point... Honestly, I don't even understand why the Horsemen still have 4 members."

-----

As the Triskaideka and the Dragon Corps continuously wrecked havoc in the Cardinal World. The slumbering mass of darkness in the Otherworld has shown signs of awakening after months of continuous sleeping.

The carefree Zodiac dropped whatever they were doing and got into formation as they encircled the humongous mass of darkness that's still twitching nonstop.

"He's going to wake up soon... 3 days at the latest, tomorrow morning as the soonest." Scorpio said telepathically towards all the Zodiac.

All of the nodded their heads in agreement as all them wore solemn expressions!

Finally!

After countless millennium, they could finally unleash their strength!

-----

---

-

Empyrium.

Aldrich stood with his hands in pocket as he witnessed the final steps of Tadashi's evolution.

His evolution has taken an extremely long time but now it was nearing its completion and Aldrich waited patiently for his new subordinate.

Swoosh!

Just as he was standing still, a cold wind blew past his face and a powerful aura erupted.

Boom!

A resounding explosion erupted in the Forbidden Zone as Tadashi finally broke free from his evolutionary cocoon.

Tadashi floated with his eyes closed as his appearance did not change, the only striking difference is the number of his wings.

From 3 pairs of wings, he now possessed 9 pairs for a total of 18 wings!

All of which are orange in color!

The color of the Chaos and the Void!

His aura is so refined and controlled that he looks like an ordinary person, which was difficult to achieve for newly evolved creatures!

Tadashi opened his eyes and saw Aldrich looking at him from below. He quickly retracted his wings and floated down then knelt before Aldrich.

"Greetings, Master!" He said powerfully with his feminine voice.

Aldrich smiled as he scanned Tadashi and he was surprised that another new lifeform has been bred in the Empyrium.

"What would you call you race, Tadashi?" Aldrich ask the Progenitor of a new race.

Tadashi thought for a moment before declaring.

"The Overseers."

"I am already an Information Lifeform, the Ultimate Divine-Demonic Overseer." Tadashi said proudly.

"How does it feel to transcend the races your former master created?" Aldrich asked the Overseer Progenitor.

"I can't describe it fully, but I feel more unrestrained and free... The shackles of my former body doesn't exist now." Tadashi said after contemplating and getting a feel on his new body.

"I see. That's good to know, familiarize yourself with your newfound powers then. The Heavenly Emperors are currently in the Forbidden Zone." Aldrich said as he turned around and gazed towards the direction of the Otherworld.

-----

Otherworld.

"Virgo, can you let your children deal with our guests?" Pisces said towards the always cold and silent Insectar Zodiac.

Virgo nodded her spider head and activated her Ultimate Skill, ' Lord Of Expansion, Demeter'!

Empress' Call!

Dong!

Swoosh!

Eight muscular figures appeared upon the summoning of Virgo.

"Greetings, Mother!" Eight different voices greeted Virgo then they also greeted all the Zodiacs.

"So these are the 8 Insect Kings under Virgo." Aquarius muttered under her breath as he stared at the kneeling insectars.

"Ahem! There are only 7." Taurus said quickly and did not dwell on the topic.

"Virgo herself is already a one-man army but she could also call upon her children that could rival a Triskaideka legion to aid her in battle." Taurus said patiently to the youngest Zodiac.

"You're right. I can feel their strength clearly." Aquarius nodded in agreement as she scanned the 8 Insect Kings.

"Virgo created them after awakening upon receiving her name and evolving. Those 8 kids are made from her legs, her own flesh and blood." Leo, the Dwarven Zodiac, floated towards them while saying.

"Not only that, Lord Aldrich even named the 8 of them... Their strength has surpassed your average Commander in the Triskaideka and the Dragon Corps." Leo said sweetly as she smiled towards Aquarius and Taurus.

Taurus looked at the High Dwarf with confusion as he tilted his head.

"I never knew that the arrogant Leo could educate the younger generations." He said sarcastically.

"Hmph! I was just bored!" Hearing the remark of Taurus, Leo's rough feminine face turned beet red and she snorted as she went away from them.

Taurus chuckled at the flushed reaction of the Leader of the Zodiacs and said lightly, "What a fiery temper as always."

As they were having a conversation, Virgo looked at her children with motherly love and pointed her finger towards the other end of the Otherworld. The 8 Kings turned their insect heads towards that direction and understood their mission.

"Don't worry Mother! We won't let a single soul disturb the Zodiacs!" The Ant King declared proudly as he took the lead and the rest followed.

Virgo watched them silently and a smile broke out on her lovely face.

"Virgo, your ability is really impressive!" Libra, the Oni Zodiac, clapped his hand and praised gently.

Virgo smiled towards him and said nothing.

"Sigh! As quiet as usual." Libra said as he dropped his shoulders in dejection.

After Virgo sent her children away to clean up the mess, the Zodiacs were all staring intently at the mass of darkness with solemnity as they could already feel the pressure!

"Kuhuhuhu! Interesting, I am already greeted by such a sight."

"To think that my descendants were actually expressing openly their desires to kill me."

"Interesting! Really Interesting!"

As they were staring, an extremely sinister voice filled with nothing but malice resounded around them. The pressure was so strong that all of them were already expanding magicules just to stand.

Aries and Virgo were especially targeted and both of them were having a hard time resisting the pressure!