(26) Playing House
Otherworld.
"This is the place." Leo said as he along with other Zodiacs teleported to the coordinates to prepare before Ivarage was teleported here.
"The barrier of the Otherworld here is extremely thin, Ivarage could just use brute force to shatter it and incarnate." Scorpio said as he caressed the edges of the Otherworld.
"It was the correct choice to let Gemini teleport him to this place as a single miscalculation could destroy this barrier prematurely." Leo said suddenly.
All the Zodiacs remained silent at the remarks of Leo, their leader.
"Mother Zodiac, could you inform Libra and Gemini that they can come here now and in the meantime we should prepare to suppress Ivarage by the time he arrives." Leo barked out orders and the Zodiacs received it immediately.
As soon as the Zodiacs made preparations, the mindless Cryptids and Insectars near their position started to flee immediately. Several Zodiacs only took less than 2 minutes to thoroughly prepare before Ivarage arrives.
"Incoming!!" Just as they were going about with their ways, a childish voice shouted telepathically in their minds.
"Fuck!" Scoripio cursed at the awkward timing of Gemini but still made space nonetheless.
Boom!!
A mushroom cloud of dust rose up as something colossus was forcefully dropped down here!
Roar!!
A terrifying dragon's roar resounded as it dispersed the clouds and shook the entire Otherworld!
"How dare mere ants play with me!! I'm gonna kill you! I'm going to kill all of you!!" Ivarage's furious voice echoed as his murderous aura intensified.
Swoosh!
As Ivarage was thrashing around, a deeply wounded Libra landed with a Pixie supporting him.
Thud!
Gemini dropped Libra and sucked on his nectar juice, still clearly annoyed by the fact that he was played around.
"What happened to him?" Aquarius looked at the unconscious Libra and asked Gemini.
"He wanted to play hero, that's why." Gemini said casually.
"Can you be more specific?" Taurus asked patiently while smiling gently.
"Fuck you, old man!!" Gemini raged.
"Gemini." Leo's cold voice broke the tantrum of the Pixie Zodiac.
"Tsk. A stampede of Cryptids rushed towards that damned Lizard and Libra fought all of it while fending off the attacks of Ivarage, all to buy me time to cast my magic." Gemini was annoyed but still answered truthfully.
Boom!
A humongous dragon claw slammed in front of them as Ivarage was rampaging due to his fury!
"You dare play house in front of me?!" He raged as another claw slammed on the ground.
"Prosecution of the River Styx." Pisces whispered but it was heard by all of them, she flew high up and casted a complex spell to hold down Ivarage.
Chains made up of materialized dark waters snaked around Ivarage and it gripped him firmly in his place.
Roar!!
Another furious Dragon's roar resounded inside the Otherworld.
"I shall devour all of your souls!" Ivarage furious roar once again shook the Otherworld but Pisces kept him firmly in his place.
"Hold on, Mother! I already sent a transmission to the Empyrium!" Leo shouted as she also dashed towards Ivarage.
She attacked recklessly, relying on her Divine Human physique and clashed head-on against Ivarage.
"Well, it's a shame that those two are tying down that monster while we're watching." Taurus said as he gathered Earth Elements around the feet of Ivarage.
Just like that, 10 Zodiacs fought against Ivarage again as they waited for the signal of the Empyrium.
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Empyrium.
"Master, Ivarage's incarnation medium is ready." Kael said respectfully, he knew that his soul was already altered but he ignored it and chose to serve Aldrich wholeheartedly.
"How much stardust energy did it store?" Aldrich asked without turning his head.
"It's at the level of a Zodiac. If he incarnates properly, he'll stand shoulder to shoulder with the Horsemen." Kael thought deeply and answered concisely.
"Go. Make sure that there will be minimal mistakes." Aldrich ordered and Kael bowed slightly and disappeared immediately.
As he watched Kael disappeared in front of him, Aldrich communicated with his new partner, Azrael.
"Azrael, you should have known everything that I've been planning in this world. What do you think are my chances of succeeding?" Aldrich asked calmly.
Azrael pondered deeply for a few minutes before answering truthfully.
"My Liege, with Veldanava out of the picture, your chances of succeeding is above 70%. However, when Veldanava decides to intervene, you will surely die." She said slowly.
"Even the passage of time couldn't corrode the strength of the creator." Aldrich sighed softly.
"My Liege, only Veldanava could match your current strength. Your subordinates is more than enough to conquer this world, in fact, the Horsemen does not need to be mobilized, they shall be reserved for the hidden dangers." Azrael reminded.
"You think highly of the Zodiac if you thought that they can handle this world." Aldrich however, did not believe her immediately.
"Milord, your perception of strength is extremely twisted. The Triskaideka and the Dragon Corps are powerful enough to crush this world's average Awakened Demon Lord and could even compete with the best of them. The Zodiacs on the other hand are all on the level of a True Dragon, if they wanted fight to the death, they could surely take down a True Dragon." Azrael said slowly as she tried opening the world view of Aldrich.
Aldrich remained silent as he seriously pondered on the strength of his subordinates.
"My Liege, allow me to be bold. But you have to trust those who are below you, they may seem lacking to you but their importance to others is significant." Azrael continued.
"For only this instance, trust me! Don't mobilize the Horsemen until something unexpected happens." Azrael kneeled inside Aldrich's consciousness and begged earnestly.
Aldrich listened silently as he watched the whole Empyrium buzz with life.
Almost a decade has passed by since he came to this world, yet he managed to nurture a world with terrifying potential.
New monster races, unheard beasts and an exotic ecosystem.
"Azrael." He muttered after a few minutes of silence and witnessing his 'Small World'
"At your command." A tender voice resounded in his consciousness.
"The Zodiacs are having a difficult time to subdue Ivarage." Aldrich muttered emotionlessly.
"Yes, they appear weaker because this is the first time they are fighting in real life. I suggest you push them to the boundary of life and death and you shall know that what I am speaking is nothing but the truth." Azrael replied calmly.
"The boundary of life and death." Aldrich repeated and immediately thought of something.
"I shall see through the truth of your words." He said without fluctuations in his emotions.
"Gladly." In which, Azrael replied calmly.
Swoosh!
A stoic uncle appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of Aldrich with his arms crossed in his chest.
"You called?" Kamuina asked in his hoarse voice.
"Hold down Ivarage, I need the Zodiacs to do something else for the moment." He said unbothered.
"Hmm, at this time? Really? Ivarage will incarnate any moment now." Kamuina sensed the Otherworld and said.
"Delay it." Aldrich just said succinctly.
"Alright." Kamuina just shrugged his broad shoulders and walked away.
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Otherworld.
"Stop!" Leo suddenly shouted and it caused the Zodiacs to frown deeply.
"Gemini, quicky seal that barrier!" She then ordered, ignoring the strange gazes thrown her way.
Although Leo's orders were weird, Gemini still sealed the barrier Ivarage was attempting to open as the other Zodiacs held him down.
"Leo, I think this is the perfect time for you to explain." Scorpio said towards Leo as he was still restraining Ivarage.
The other Zodiacs nodded in agreement as they waited for Leo to respond. However, Leo just remained silent and kept her head slightly bowed in a certain direction.
Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn felt something was amiss and looked towards the direction of where Leo was bowing her head.
At first, they saw nothing but they kept feeling that something was staring back at them from the depths.
They kept staring and sensing but to no avail.
Sigh!
Then they heard a tired sigh and large uncle with broad shoulders walked out from the shadows.
"Even those that possess the same element as me are having a hard time to detect me, just how much are you guys slacking?" The uncle berated in a hoarse voice.
"You fools should be ashamed of yourselves, a Zodiac is better than this." The uncle continued berating them until his face was finally illuminated.
Although the Zodiacs felt bitter and frustrated, they still bowed their heads slightly and remained silent. None of them spoke and made a noise when they sensed the familiar aura.
"What business does a Heavenly Emperor has on the Otherworld?" The scene of silence was broken by Leo as she questioned the newly arrived ally.
"I have business with him." Kamuina replied coldly as he pointed towards Ivarage.
Roar!
Ivarage roared angrily after he saw that a slightly bigger ant pointed his stinking finger towards him.
"Ants!!" Ivarage furious roar once again resounded.
"Release him and return to the Empyrium at once." Kamuina ordered as he starting warming up by rotating his broad shoulders and huge hands.
The Zodiac looked towards each other and tacitly agreed to release Ivarage at the same time. They didn't doubt the strength of Kamuina when paired against Ivarage as he was one of the legends mentioned by bards inside the Empyrium.
Swoosh!
As Ivarage felt temporary freedom again, the Zodiac retreated calmly and looked towards Kamuina before rushing back to their home.
"Now, let's fight man-to-man, shall we?" Kamuina said as he grinned ferociously towards Ivarage.
The far side of the Otherworld.
"Whoa, we are already miles away but the resounding shockwaves are still powerful." Gemini whistled while licking a kind of lollipop.
"He really is considerate enough." Pisces suddenly muttered and it caused the Zodiac to looked towards her.
"Mother Zodiac, what do you mean by that?" Aquarius was the most curious of the bunch and she questioned immediately.
"He's fighting Ivarage with only his brute strength." Pisces said calmly.
!!!
All the Zodiacs immediately stopped in their tracks and stared at Pisces in disbelief.
"Is what you're saying the truth?" Scorpio asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice.
"You should know it better that anyone, Scorpio. When Lord Kamuina uses his 'Ultimate Skill', this Otherworld would surely collapse." Pisces said calmly.
"That's how powerful the Horsemen are, a single usage of their skills could decimate a whole planet in one go." She added softly.
"Let's move!" Leo ordered as she took the lead, but no one could see the fire burning in her eyes and her fist was clenched tightly.
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Empyrium.
The Black Haven.
The Zodiacs rushed with all their might back to the Empyrium and Aldrich was the one who greeted them the moment they returned.
They were all kneeling for more than 10 minutes now and all of them were disciplined enough to not even lift their heads nor make a noise.
Aldrich stared at the farthest end of the Black Haven while deep in thought, completely ignoring the Zodiacs.
'Azrael, how will you compensate me if what I'm about to do will fail?' Aldrich communicated with his Manas.
'You can revive them endlessly, My Liege. Your skill is that powerful and this is also the reason why I suggested this, you can kill them and resurrect them endlessly.' Azrael said smugly.
Aldrich was taken aback when Azrael mentioned this!
He never thought that his newly acquired skill has really defied the rules of the heavens itself!
"I was worried for nothing." Aldrich muttered suddenly and chuckled to himself which caused the Zodiacs to flinch.
"Stand up, you guys." Aldrich ordered and the Zodiacs moved like a well oiled machine.
"I need you to do something for me." Aldrich smiled and said casually.
"We are at your command, Supreme Lord!" The Zodiacs shouted in unison.
Aldrich nodded then immediately casted his 'World System Skill, Cosmic Paradise'.
Ting!
An ear-piercing sound resounded in the Black Haven as the Zodiacs entered a new world!
"Where is this?!" Aquarius looked around anxiously.
The whole world seemed spinning but at the same it was not, it was steady as a rock.
"What the fuck is happening!?" Aries shouted as she was already brandishing her weapon!
Swoosh!
Scorpio attacked indiscriminately and did not hold back at all!
"This is impossible!" He said in an extremely shocked voice.
His full-powered attack did not even cause the slightest bit of ripple on the surroundings!
"Let me try." Sagittarius said as he wielded his Pseudo-God Grade Longbow 'Hell's Fury'
Sagittarius activated his 'Ultimate Skill, Lord of Covenant, Zeus' and communicated with the elements present. He started murmuring inaudible words as 'Hell's Fury' was being surrounded by fire and lightning.
"This boy is a walking cheat code." Taurus said admiringly as he caressed his long beard while watching Sagittarius contract Spirits easily.
Lightning.
Fire.
Wind.
Three Elemental Lords lent their powers to Sagittarius without hesitation!
Sagittarius stared at them without any emotions as he stretched his hand and the 3 Elementals Lords dissipated and turned into streams of light that fused with his bow.
He summoned Elemental Lords just to strengthen his weapon.
'Hell's Fury' was brimming with power, but Sagittarius wasn't done yet. He began to pray sincerely to the All-Father that gave him life.
Swoosh!
After several seconds, a miracle happened as the silhouette of Aldrich manifested as it wielded 'Hell's Fury'.
This was already one of the most powerful combination attacks of any Zodiac!
"God's Judgement." Sagittarius muttered the name of the attack as his energy reserves were sucked dry.
Ting!
An ear-piercing noise caused the Zodiacs to instantly cover their ears and blood started dripping down the corners of their mouth.
Roar!
3 Fire Dragons roared as they escaped the string of 'Hell's Fury' and attacked the 'Cosmic Paradise'!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
They clashed head-on, unleashed terrifying flames that could melt even the defenses of the Empyrium and even used brute force to rip their way out of the 'World System Skill'.
The arrows of Sagittarius came to life but he was kneeling in pain as he desperately gasped for breath with a pale face.
"I see. I was a fool that I thought that a sliver of Lord Aldrich's power could destroy his very own skill." He said in a low, despondent voice.
He poured his all in that attack but 'Cosmic Paradise' did not even budge or shake a bit.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
All the Zodiacs landed beside the disheartened Sagittarius and surrounded him. None of them mocked him because his attack even threatened them but it did nothing to the world around them.
"My world system skill is joke." Gemini said as he stared at the ground.
He was the last amongst the Zodiac to conjure his World System Skill, but upon witnessing and experiencing the effect of 'Cosmic Paradise', he started losing his confidence in his abilities.
Not only him, all the Zodiacs were feeling helpless at the sudden turn of events. Even Pisces, the stoic Mother has an ugly expression on her face.
They wanted to internalize and gather themselves, but 'Cosmic Paradise' is already a world with its own will. It could already be considered a world that's extremely similar to the Empyrium or rather it is the 'Holy Land' of the Empyrium, in Chinese terminology.
Swoosh!
12 Beings shrouded in orange fog, the fog of chaos, appeared in front of them!
However, none of them even managed to sense such beings until Pisces reminded them in a stern voice.
"We have visitors." Pisces said solemnly.
When the eyes of the Zodiacs fell on the 12 unknown creatures, the creatures started to shapeshift and took different forms.
Only a second has passed when their transformation started and ended and none of the Zodiacs managed to react in time.
The 12 beings walked out of the Chaos Fog slowly and their forms shook the very soul of all the Zodiacs!
The auras, bearings, and everything about them perfectly resembles all the Zodiacs!
"Somebody better tell me what the fuck is happening?!" Aries asked in a shaking voice that is very uncharacteristic of her.
Virgo, the Insectar Zodiac, pointed one of her shaking hand towards an elegant Spider-type humanoid that's slowly walking towards her.
"Retreat." Leo ordered after some time and it woke up the rest of the Zodiac and immediately carried out the order.
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
As they retreated like their life depended on it, they started to calm down and brainstorm of the sudden happenings.
"Let's gather what we know. First, we are inside the 'World System Skill' of Lord Aldrich." Leo took the lead and said solemnly.
Everyone nodded in agreement and remained silent, waiting for the Zodiac Leader to continue.
"Then, 12 creatures appeared and we don't know their goal." She added.
"They are us." Scorpio said as soon as Leo finished.
All the Zodiacs looked at the frowning Demon Zodiac and waited for him to continue.
"They are us. Specifically, our clones with our True Bodies." He said after pondering deeply for a moment.
"True Bodies? You mean Lord Aldrich kept clones of us at our peak?!"Gemini asked loudly.
Thud!
As soon as he shouted, Capricorn slapped him in the back of his head and reprimanded.
"Watch your words, Pixie." Capricorn said coldly and threateningly.
Argh!
"Fuck you! I slipped, okay!? I slipped!" Gemini shouted and insinuated his last words.
Cancer watched Capricorn and Gemini bicker back and forth but she was deep in thought.
'Something's wrong! Something's extremely wrong!' She shouted in her mind as she kept on spamming 'Thought Acceleration' to come up with an answer.
Pisces saw her spasm and shaking from nervousness as she approached her and caressed her soft fur.
"Cancer, calm down." She soothed the agitated Magical Beast Zodiac.
Cancer looked at Pisces with puppy eyes and tears are falling down on her beak.
"Mother..." She muttered as she buried her head in the embrace of Pisces.
Pisces did not say anything but she continued caressing the fur of Cancer.
After several minutes of calming down all the Zodiacs, she finally revealed the information she knew.
"They are not our clones per se. Although, they are close to being our clones but they are not." She said slowly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo asked as she tilted her head in confusion as well as all the Zodiacs.
"Those are the Zodiacs in Lord Aldrich's eyes. The real Zodiacs." Pisces said while frowning deeply.
"The real Zodiacs? I'm confused." Taurus said while contemplating the words of Pisces.
Pisces did not falter and remained calm as she stared at the eyes of every Zodiac before speaking.
"They are us at our full potential. The Zodiacs that Lord Aldrich wanted." She revealed patiently.
Although she was not exactly sure about her speculation but her senses and her years together with Aldrich caused her to reach such a hypothesis. The 12 Zodiacs in front of her was extremely terrifying, even her 'clone' was leagues above her and it even caused her to shudder in fear.
'Lord Aldrich wanted us to be this powerful?' She thought inwardly.
At the same time.
Aldrich is watching the happenings inside 'Cosmic Paradise' like a god.
The 'World System Skill, Cosmic Paradise' is a world depicted upon the Universe, its stars, planets and its galaxy. It has already been evolved by Azrael into a small world with its own laws and restrictions, its space-time rules are vastly different and is more refined than the Empyrium. Aldrich can do everything inside the 'Cosmic Paradise'. He can decided death with just a thought, he can grow magical plants and spawn unseen creatures with a wave of his hand or interchange the rules of the Cardinal World with that of the 'Cosmic Paradise'.
Moreover, he can perceive the crawling of an ant to the breathing of a bee. He can even look into your soul and understand every thoughts of all that is inside.
Everything is laid bare in front of Aldrich, even beings at the caliber of Guy and Milim were defenseless inside 'Cosmic Paradise'
The 12 Zodiacs spawned inside the 'Cosmic Paradise' were the estimations of Azrael. In other words, they are already at the level of a Catastrophe threat level individually, which is a far cry from their current threat level of upper disaster.
"Azrael, how did you know that they can reach this level?" Aldrich watched the Zodiacs battle their counterparts as he asked Azrael.
"Because of you, My Liege. When you named them, your desires and a portion of your strength were transferred to them. This level is also the bare minimum you wanted when you created the Zodiacs, in fact, this is just my lowest estimation. If they wanted to fight to the death, they can even heavily injure or kill a Horseman." Azrael pondered deeply then answered straightly.
"They can only heavily injure the Horsemen?" Aldrich frowned when he heard this.
Isn't that too weak?
Azrael shook her head and said softly.
"My Liege. A single Horseman can already destroy this world fairly easily." Azrael reminded him.
Aldrich shook slightly when he heard the words of Azrael.
"That's exaggerated." Aldrich outright denied the claims of Azrael.
"My Liege, with all due respect. Your perception has been dwindled down by the standards of this world. If it were from before, the current Horseman is barely enough to satisfy you." Azrael boldly said.
Aldrich listened and fell into deep thought.
'This world has affected me in some way, huh?'
'I have stayed in this world for more than a decade, so I should've expected this to happen.'
'Fortunately, Azrael reminded me.'
"Then, can I also raise the strength of the Horsemen?" Aldrich started to trust Azrael after waking him up and asked for a solution.
"Yes, but you have to let them unleash their full strength as well." Azrael said immediately, joy was hidden in her voice.
"Do I also have to kill them?" Aldrich asked casually.
"No, My Liege. But you can make them unleash their full strength if you fight them." Azrael suggested.
Aldrich thought about the suggestion of Azrael and looked towards his 'World System Skill'
Cosmic Paradise.
The 12 Zodiacs were all heavily injured as they continuously retreat from the attack of the cloned Zodiacs.
"They are too powerful, dammit!" Aries cursed loudly as she held one of her arms that is already broken.
"We can't fight them, we need to find a way to escape here first." Leo said as she ordered the Zodiacs to retreat first.
No Zodiacs denied her order as they were indeed being overwhelmed to the point that they are being suffocated.
"You are all a disappointment, Lord Aldrich was in the right to execute useless beings like yourselves." An extremely familiar voice that's similar to Leo resounded from behind them as they continuously retreated.
"You should've been ashamed to call yourselves a Zodiac and even call me your Mother." Another familiar voice resounded as it ridiculed them to the extreme.
Although the Zodiacs knew that they were being provoked, all of them stopped and turned around while filled with battle intent.
"Swallow your pride, Leo! We can't defeat them!" Taurus reprimanded heavily while frowning heavily.
"So we run? If we can't defeat our enemy, we run with our tails tuck behind our assess?" Leo said coldly, her voice laced with fury.
"They are indeed correct. We don't have any right to call ourselves 'The Zodiac.'" She continued to berate themselves.
"We cooped ourselves up inside the Legendary Black Haven for far too long that we even forgot the reason of our very existence." She continued coldly.
Swoosh!
She then left her dumbfounded comrades and rushed towards the 'clones'.
"My name is Leo, the appointed Leader of the Zodiacs. I will fight you myself to defend our dignity!" She shouted as she brandished her 'Oblivious Sun', another pseudo-God Grade weapon. A Warhammer.
"Even if I die, I will take down as many as I can with me!"
Swoosh!
A scalding hot aura spread out with Leo at the center as she prepared to unleash her full strength!
Lord of Luminescence, Apollo.
An 'Ultimate Skill' that dominates both the light and heat attribute and controls all others. A befitting skill for the Leader of the Zodiacs.
Leo's body started to glow incandescently and her hair is already on fire!
Boom!
Leo smashed 'Oblivious Sun' to the ground and all kinds of fire incinerated everything to ashes!
"Demonic Sacred Fire." She muttered as her fire corrupted and healed her surroundings.
The disgusting black hellfire devoured everything in its path, not distinguishing friend or foe. While the enchanting white sacred flames restored the vitality of whatever it touches.
However, even though Leo launched a powerful attack, her Zodiac counterpart also unleashed the same skill but with more ferocity.
"Demonic Sacred Flames." Cloned Leo muttered while grinning in disdain towards Leo.
"You don't even know how to utilize your own skill to the fullest, you are such a disappointment." She then said in disgust.
Her flames were already roaring like a tsunami as it attacked all the Zodiacs!
Argh!!
Excruciating cries of pains resounded as they failed to extinguish the flames.
"If you want to survive, you have to kill me while withstanding my flames... That's the real usage of your Ultimate Skill." She said smugly towards Leo as she provoked the Zodiac.
"Fool." Leo was unmoved as she dashed towards her clone and swung her Warhammer heavily.
Boom!
The clone parried her attack but her hands were shaking from the impact and her insides are heating up.
The clone looked towards Leo with shock but it quickly turned into interest.
"So, you already know how to perfectly utilize your skill." She said calmly.
From that one blow that she took, she already knew that her mission is already over. She doesn't need to kill Leo in order for her to grow up but rather Leo's emotions triggered her hidden strength and at the moment, she could singlehandedly defeat all the Zodiacs.
The cloned Leo dissipated into light fragments and fused with Leo.
Now that her mission is over, her ephemeral life has also come to an end.
"This is my last gift for you. Lead the Zodiacs well and don't forget the reason for your existence." The clone's voice resounded inside the head of Leo but she didn't mind it.
She was now fully immersed in the experiences and teachings her clone left behind.
Just as Leo was silent and immersing herself, the other Zodiacs were not so lucky to awaken their strength and unfortunately died under the hands of their counterpart.
Pisces and Aries were the only one to keep their life and defeat their clones, albeit suffering heavy injuries.
Leo was silent as he watched her comrades fall one by one.
The Black Haven has taken the Law of the Jungle to the extreme, although she has already developed feelings for her comrades, without sufficient strength, everything is worthless.
Pisces and Aries dragged their heavily injured bodies towards Leo and recuperated silently.
Mourning for the death of more than half the Zodiacs.
"We grew complacent. We have no one to blame but ourselves, Lord Aldrich created the Zodiacs to nurture Catastrophe-level beings but we became contented with our pitiful strength and ignored everything else." Pisces said after several moments of silence.
Aries and Leo bowed their heads in shame as fury is building up inside of them.
Wrath for their weak selves.
Wrath for their pride and ego.
"Lord Aldrich wanted to trim the weak that he even executed the Zodiacs that took almost a millennium to form... He must be confident on dealing with things without our help." Pisces said while smiling despondently.
"We grew far stronger than we were before but it came at an extremely high cost." She continued to mutter.
The scene fell extremely silent and the atmosphere was very heavy.
Swoosh!
"It's good that there are still emotions left in you." Just as they were lamenting, a warm voice resounded from above.
They all looked up and saw the majestic figure of Aldrich.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
They immediately knelt down and their faces were filled with extreme reverence and respect.
"Do you now understand that there are no ceiling for you guys?" He asked while still smiling.
"Yes, Supreme Lord. Forgive us for not realizing it sooner and for being to complacent while under your divine protection." Leo said solemnly
Aldrich nodded and did not take to heart.
"Do you want to replace a Horseman?" He asked casually.
"I will even kill a Horseman if you ordered us to do so." The 3 of them answered immediately, the long lost lust for battle resurfacing.
"Very good." Aldrich nodded and waved his hand as all the corpses of the Zodiacs were lifted in the air and the breath of life returned to them.
"You guys will invade the Cardinal World tomorrow, without me and the Heavenly Emperors." Aldrich said towards the Zodiacs as he vanished into thin air.