Chapter 140: Under the pavilion

Four massive stone pillars rose from the corners of a wide platform built upon a foundation of ancient rubble, supporting a beautifully crafted roof made of overlapping dark tiles.

The pavilion had no walls, leaving its sides completely open to the surrounding forest, while a waist-high stone railing bordered the platform and provided a place for those inside to lean against.

A gentle breeze flowed naturally through the open structure, passing between the pillars and carrying the cool scent of the dark forest beneath the tiled roof.

Within the pavilion, twelve individuals could be seen scattered across the structure. Some stood beside the pillars, others sat along the broad stone railing surrounding the platform, while several remained deeper within the shadows, their appearances partially concealed by the dimness beneath the roof.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Only the sounds of the Dark Forest could be heard, from the rustling of leaves to the distant cries of unknown creatures lurking between the trees. Eventually, one of the individuals shifted his position and tilted his straw hat upward, finally revealing his face.

"We must all be here for the same reason, right?"

An individual sitting within the shadows answered without revealing much of their appearance.

"Gather at the Shade Forest and meet."

An elf among the twelve sat quietly against the stone railing, his gaze slowly moving across the gathered individuals. After a brief silence, he finally spoke.

"The Twelve Constellations. The title given to us after reaching the pinnacle."

He paused, his expression becoming increasingly displeased.

"Are you all fucking with me? With all of us present, we should decide that things need to change."

His eyes narrowed as he looked around the pavilion. "After all, not everyone here reached the pinnacle through their own strength, you gifted fucktards."

The large black demon beside him suddenly twitched, his expression darkening. "Hey, stop being arrogant, you sub-race."

The Scarlet Queen, who was standing beside the demon, covered her mouth with one hand and let out a soft, amused chuckle.

"Sub-race? Hehe..." Her eyes curved slightly as she looked between the two of them.

"That sounds cute."

The Onyx Elf’s expression immediately changed.

He slowly closed his eyes, remaining completely still for several seconds before opening them again.

"What did you say?"

A powerful red aura suddenly erupted from his body, spreading throughout the pavilion and causing the surrounding air to tremble.

"Sub-race, you said?"

The pressure continued to rise, forcing the leaves surrounding the pavilion to shake violently. Several of the other Constellations remained completely unfazed, while a few simply watched the two with mild interest, apparently accustomed to such conflicts.

Above them, a swarm of bats suddenly emerged from the darkness between the trees. They circled the pavilion several times before descending toward one of the individuals seated within the shadows, eventually landing around the woman known as the Mother of Evil.

She barely reacted to their arrival.

"So loud..." she muttered quietly.

The other Constellations continued observing the exchange, though their attention was not entirely focused on the argument. Some quietly conversed with one another, discussing the revelation they had received, while others simply watched the more outspoken members of the group argue.

Despite gathering under the same title, there was little sense of unity among them.

"Hey, stop it, you two. We’re not here to fight."

A man sitting casually near one of the pillars finally spoke. His tone was relaxed, almost as though he were merely commenting on an ordinary conversation, yet the moment his voice spread across the pavilion, the surrounding forest suddenly shook.

Leaves were torn from branches.

The tall trees swayed violently.

Even the rubble beneath the pavilion trembled beneath the pressure of his voice.

The man wearing the straw hat glanced toward the creatures accompanying some of the other Constellations. A faint smile appeared beneath the shadow of his hat.

"You even brought your pets here, huh?"

His gaze lingered on them for a moment.

"Interesting."

"Hey, hey!" An elf suddenly raised his voice, his arms resting behind his head as he looked around impatiently.

"When can we get this done? Aren’t we supposed to talk about that invasion or something?"

He sighed before glancing toward another individual standing across the pavilion.

"Hey, by the way, are your wounds healed now?"

The Magic Sword Magician immediately narrowed her eyes.

"You played dirty. You just got lucky."

The man simply smiled, seemingly amused by her response.

The conversation continued for several moments, but then the atmosphere of the forest began to change.

Far above the canopy, the dark sky slowly began to brighten.

At first, it was barely noticeable, little more than a faint glow spreading between the distant clouds. The light gradually intensified, spilling across the treetops and revealing branches that had previously been hidden beneath the darkness.

The shadows beneath the trees began retreating one by one.

The Dark Forest, which had been almost completely concealed by night, slowly emerged beneath the unfamiliar illumination. Leaves glistened as the light touched them, while the stone pavilion and the twelve Constellations were gradually painted in pale radiance.

One by one, their faces became visible.

The conversations slowly died down.

Even those who had been arguing moments ago turned their attention toward the sky.

Then, several moments later, something appeared.

A brilliant light suddenly pierced through the darkness above the forest.

It was not the soft glow of the moon, nor was it the flickering light of magic. The radiance descended from the sky like an enormous celestial presence, growing brighter with every passing second until the entire Dark Forest was illuminated as though dawn had arrived in an instant.

The twelve Constellations stared upward.

Almost immediately, they recognized the presence. Even those who had never received the authority of a god, and those who had long since abandoned their faith, instinctively understood what stood before them. They did not need an explanation or a name, for something within their very souls recognized that this was the presence of a being far greater than themselves.