Chapter 137: Silent Gathering

Deep within the southern continent lay a sacred land that had remained untouched since the beginning of the age. It was a place where no ordinary being had ever stepped foot, where even the most powerful beasts instinctively understood that they were not meant to wander.

The beasts that ruled this region were not ordinary creatures either, for deep within these forbidden lands resided the Beast Kings, ancient existences whose territories stretched across mountains, forests, and valleys that had never known the presence of civilization.

The entire region was swallowed by an eternal darkness. Towering mountains rose on every side like enormous walls, their peaks disappearing into the blackened sky, while ancient trees grew between them, their trunks so massive that several houses could have been built around a single one.

Their branches intertwined high above the ground, forming a natural ceiling that prevented sunlight from ever reaching the earth below, leaving only thin strands of moonlight capable of slipping through the countless gaps between the leaves.

The wind moved slowly through the forest, carrying the scent of ancient soil and damp stone.

Every movement seemed amplified within the silence, from the distant cry of an unseen beast to the faint rustling of leaves, yet none of the creatures living within these lands dared approach the center.

For tonight, something far more dangerous than the Beast Kings had entered their territory.

Slowly, a figure emerged from the darkness.

Her footsteps were quiet, yet each one seemed to carry an invisible weight that caused the surrounding forest to fall even more silent.

A long sword rested at his side, its sheath worn from countless battles, while her presence alone gave the impression of someone who had spent his entire life standing between life and death.

It was the Magic Swordsman of the Salean Kingdom.

The moonlight finally pierced through the branches above, falling across half of his body and illuminating the sharp features of his face. Shee did not look toward the surrounding forest, nor did he acknowledge the enormous beasts watching him from the darkness.

His eyes remained forward, calm and focused, as though he already knew that everyone he had come to meet would eventually arrive.

A second presence appeared beside him.

There was no sound of footsteps this time.

A man simply stood beneath one of the ancient trees, as though he had always been there.

A wide straw hat concealed most of his face, leaving only the lower portion visible beneath its shadow, while his clothing shifted gently with the cold breeze that passed through the forest.

The Thousand Petal had arrived.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

They simply stood beneath the ancient trees, separated by only a few steps, yet neither appeared interested in acknowledging the other.

Then another presence entered the sacred land.

A small silhouette slowly emerged from between the trees.

At first, she appeared almost harmless.

She was a small child, her figure barely reaching the height of an ordinary adult’s chest, yet the moment the moonlight touched her face, the enormous fangs extending from her mouth became visible.

Her crimson eyes glimmered beneath the darkness, carrying an ancient sharpness that did not belong to someone with such a young appearance.

Beside her walked a demon.

Unlike the demons commonly seen throughout the world, his skin was not crimson or dark red.

It was black, so dark that portions of his body almost disappeared into the surrounding shadows, with only his eyes and several faint markings remaining visible beneath the moonlight.

A third figure walked behind them.

She was a dark elf woman whose long bangs covered much of her face. Only a portion of her eyes could be seen beneath the strands of hair, yet even that small glimpse carried an unsettling calmness.

The three stopped together.

The Scarlet Queen, the Dark Emperor, and the Dark Elf Witch had arrived.

Another figure soon emerged from the darkness.

Unlike the others, his arrival did not feel particularly threatening.

An elderly-looking druid slowly walked between the enormous trees. His wooden staff touched the ground with every step, producing a soft tapping sound that echoed through the silent forest.

Yet beneath that ordinary appearance was an existence that had earned the title of Beast Emperor.

He stopped several meters away from the others, his eyes moving across the gathered Constellations. A faint smile appeared on his face as he saw several familiar figures, though he made no attempt to approach them.

The silence was broken once again.

A figure stepped out from behind the trunk of an ancient tree, his posture relaxed and his expression carrying an unmistakable sense of arrogance.

His pointed ears were immediately recognizable.

Lapace the Overproud, the proud elf, had arrived.

He brushed a few strands of hair away from his face before looking toward the others. His eyes lingered upon the Magic Swordsman for several seconds before shifting toward the Scarlet Queen, the Beast Emperor, and the remaining figures.

"Quite the gathering." His voice was calm.

But the faint smile on his face made it impossible to tell whether he was amused by the situation or simply confident that he remained superior to everyone around him.

Another figure soon appeared.

Unlike Lapace, this person did not announce his presence.

The darkness simply seemed to part around him.

An elf with dark skin stepped into the faint moonlight, his expression completely composed. His posture was relaxed, his movements precise, and his eyes carried none of the curiosity displayed by the others.

The Onyx Elf had arrived.

He glanced around the gathering before calmly taking his place beneath one of the trees. His presence was strangely quiet compared to the others, yet the silence surrounding him seemed almost deliberate.

Then the sky above them changed.

A faint white glow appeared between the branches.

Something descended from above.

Large white wings slowly unfolded against the darkness before folding neatly behind the figure’s back. The moonlight reflected from each feather, creating the illusion that a fragment of the night sky itself had descended into the forest.

The Sky Devourer landed without making a sound.

Her feet touched the ground.

Her wings slowly settled behind her. She looked toward the other Constellations without saying anything, her expression unreadable beneath the pale light of the moon.

Another presence soon followed.

The temperature within the forest seemed to change.

A heavy pressure spread through the trees as a figure stepped forward, his presence carrying the unmistakable feeling of violence that had been tempered by countless battles. His eyes swept across the gathering without hesitation.

The Fearless Demon had arrived.

Beside him came another existence.

She walked calmly through the darkness, completely unaffected by the pressure surrounding the area. Her presence was strangely different from the Fearless Demon’s, yet somehow even more unsettling.

The Mother of Evil had arrived.

The two stood together for a moment before separating and taking their respective positions around the pavilion.

Finally, the sound of water could be heard.

At first, it was barely noticeable.

Then a figure slowly emerged from the darkness between the trees, his body carrying the unmistakable features of a fishman. Water dripped from his scales and fell onto the ground as he walked, yet none of it seemed to come from the surrounding forest.

The Sea Conquerer had arrived.

He stopped at the edge of the gathering and looked toward the others.

For the first time, all twelve Constellations were present.

The forest became completely silent.

Even the beasts hiding within the distant mountains seemed to have stopped moving. Twelve beings who had spent years separated by territory, ideology, conflict, and rivalry now stood within the same sacred land, their combined presence turning the normally untouchable territory into something almost suffocating.