A deathly silence fell over the stadium.
The roaring crowd from only moments before now stood frozen, staring at the center of the arena.
Black lightning still streaked across the sky.
The floodlights flickered one after another, going dark before flashing back to life.
The entire stadium trembled.
Kael's eyes remained locked on Ryujiro.
"So… you really came here because of me?"
Ryujiro slowly raised the Dragon Vortex.
The peonza radiated a deep crimson energy.
"Not just because of you."
"But because of Iron Blaze."
Kael clenched his fists.
"Then tell me the truth already!"
Reizen stepped forward.
His Shadow Tempest released dark violet bolts of lightning.
"You already know part of the truth."
"You know the story of the Star Core."
"But you still don't understand what it truly means."
Orion let out a deep sigh.
"Reizen is right."
"I already told you the story of the Star Core."
"But there was something…"
"I deliberately kept hidden."
Kael stared at him in disbelief.
"Why?"
Orion lowered his head.
"Because you weren't ready."
Shiro interrupted.
"Then tell us now!"
Orion slowly nodded.
"The eight fragments of the Star Core are not ordinary relics."
"Each one chose a warrior."
"Those capable of controlling the power sleeping within them."
Akira looked at him in confusion.
"So…"
"The Heirs?"
"Yes."
Reizen smiled faintly.
"So… you've finally said it."
Kael looked around.
"Then…"
"Who are they?"
Orion slowly looked at each of them.
"You."
"Ryujiro."
"Reizen."
"And five others."
Another bolt of lightning tore across the sky above the stadium.
BOOOM!
The ground shook once more.
Kael's Iron Blaze ignited with crimson flames.
Shiro's Frost Phantom glowed with an icy blue aura.
Ryujiro's Dragon Vortex burst into flames.
Reizen's Shadow Tempest released waves of dark energy.
All four peonzas resonated at the same time.
The air itself began to vibrate.
Ren staggered backward in shock.
"This… this is impossible."
The smile disappeared from Akira's face.
"I can feel it now…"
"An enormous power…"
Orion slowly closed his eyes.
"Four of them have already awakened."
"And this is only the beginning."
Kael spoke quietly.
"Who are the other four?"
Orion was about to answer…
But Reizen spoke first.
"Shior."
"Ren."
"Virex."
"Zerath."
The moment those names were spoken, another bolt of lightning struck.
Every screen in the stadium suddenly went black.
Then the very same symbol appeared on each of them.
An eight-pointed star.
With a radiant core at its center.
Orion's eyes widened.
"No…"
"This can't be happening."
Ryujiro looked toward the sky.
"He felt it too."
"Who?" Kael asked.
No one answered.
Suddenly…
The entire stadium was engulfed in a blinding golden light.
Not red.
Not blue.
Not purple.
Gold.
It was so pure and overwhelming that everyone instinctively shielded their eyes.
The clouds slowly parted.
A gigantic golden circle appeared in the center of the sky.
As if a second sun had opened above them.
From within the light, a deep voice echoed.
"The time…"
"Has come."
Kael's heart pounded violently.
"Who's speaking?"
Orion's face turned pale.
"No…"
"It can't be…"
For the first time, Reizen looked unsettled.
"Impossible."
Ryujiro clenched his fist.
"So… he has truly awakened."
Akira looked at them in confusion.
"Will someone tell me what's happening?!"
The golden light slowly faded.
The stadium became visible once again.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
They thought it was over.
But Orion didn't.
His eyes remained fixed on the sky.
"I can still feel…"
Kael stepped beside him.
"Who?"
Orion answered quietly.
"Someone…"
"Far stronger than any of us."
Reizen slowly closed his eyes.
"So… the legend was true."
Ryujiro nodded.
"We all believed it was just a myth."
"We were wrong."
Kael's patience finally broke.
"WHO IS IT?!"
Orion slowly turned toward him.
His expression was more serious than ever before.
"There is someone…"
"Who stands even above the Heirs."
"A single warrior."
"One whom even the ancient masters could never defeat."
Shiro stared at him in disbelief.
"Impossible."
"We thought there were only eight."
"So did we," Orion replied.
"Until now."
Far beyond the distant mountains, the golden light shone once more.
A lone figure stood atop a towering cliff.
Long silver-white hair flowed in the wind.
His white-and-gold armor radiated a blinding brilliance.
In his hand rested a unique peonza.
Eclipse Nexus.
The peonza slowly began to spin.
Its golden energy illuminated the entire sky.
Behind the man, a gigantic spirit appeared.
Hundreds of meters tall.
Its massive golden wings stretched across the heavens.
A radiant crown rested upon its head.
Its eyes looked as though the stars themselves were gazing back.
The Primordial Star Emperor.
The man slowly spoke.
"At last…"
"You have all awakened."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"The time has come…"
"For the destiny of the Heirs to be fulfilled."
Far away in the stadium, Kael suddenly clutched his chest.
Iron Blaze began to tremble violently.
Ryujiro's Dragon Vortex ignited.
Reizen's Shadow Tempest summoned a dark vortex.
Shiro's Frost Phantom scattered countless ice crystals.
All four peonzas pointed in the same direction.
Toward the golden light.
Orion slowly closed his eyes.
"It has begun…"
"The true war."
The distant figure slowly raised Eclipse Nexus.
"My name…"
"…is Aurelion Drakhar."
"And I alone…"
"…will decide who is worthy…"
"…to possess the ultimate power of the Star Core."
No one in the stadium dared to speak.
Everyone could feel it.
Their world had changed forever.
To be continued in Chapter 12…