Heaven trembled the moment Lucien's clone, Guru, and Vaelion stepped onto its soil.
Crystal spires quaked.
The rivers of divine qi rippled backward as though the entire realm inhaled in terror.
The High Sons—ten of Heaven's perfected prodigies—stood in formation, each radiating enough pressure to snuff out entire worlds.
Above them, twenty Elder Celestials hovered like burning halos in the sky.
For a moment, no one dared breathe.
Until one High Son stepped forward—Serion, the First Spear of Heaven. Golden hair, four wings, eyes burning with unrestrained arrogance.
"You dare invade Heaven? You dare stand in our realm, mortal—"
He didn't get to finish.
A soft bell rang.
A lotus petal fell.
And two figures materialized between them before Serion's first step even touched the ground—
Buddha
and
Calystria, Goddess of Eternal Dawn.
Buddha raised a palm.
"Enough."
Calystria's wings unfolded, suffusing the space with warm light.
"Stand down, Serion. You will embarrass yourself."
Serion clenched his teeth but retreated one step.
Buddha turned to Lucien's clone, silence deepening.
"Lucien Dreamveil… what business do you have in Heaven? Why have you entered our realm without summons?"
Lucien's clone smiled softly, finally pleased someone chose words over arrogance.
"At least someone asked."
Guru snorted.
Vaelion grinned.
Lucien stepped forward, hands in his pockets, voice unhurried.
"I came," he said, "for the Heavenly Dao. Your greatest treasure."
Every celestial froze.
"And," he continued, lifting one finger casually,
"the beasts of Heaven. Leviathan. Cthulhu. The Serpent of the Apocalypse. All of them."
Shock rippled through the assembly.
Even the wind in Heaven paused.
Buddha frowned. "Those beasts are sealed beyond reach. No outsider should know that."
Lucien spread his arms.
Relaxed. Mocking.
Deadly.
"I know Heaven's secret."
Silence.
A chilling, absolute silence.
Calystria's eyes narrowed.
"Impossible. Only the High Sons and Elder Celestials are allowed to know Heaven's origin."
Guru leaned to Vaelion.
"He's about to have some fun."
Vaelion smirked.
"Oh, absolutely."
Lucien tilted his head, still smiling.
"I'll tell you."
And then—
He spoke.
—But the sound did not exist.
The moment his lips moved, the words twisted into unknown letters—symbols of the primordial void. They flickered in the air like forbidden runes then were immediately erased by a violent crash of divine censorship.
Everything went mute.
Even the light froze.
Celestials clutched their heads as reality shook, trying to cover ears it did not have.
The sky fractured.
The ground bent.
The secret he spoke was so taboo that Heaven itself struck it from existence before it could form.
Buddha staggered.
Calystria gasped.
Serion fell to one knee.
"That…" Buddha whispered, trembling for the first time in thousands of years. "That knowledge is forbidden. You should not… you cannot…"
Lucien lowered his arms.
"But I do."
Just three words.
And Heaven cracked.
The High Sons' faces twisted—fear, rage, desperation, disbelief.
They had no choice.
Taboo demanded blood.
Secret demanded silence.
Heaven demanded obedience.
Calystria lifted her staff, voice tight with divine regret.
"High Sons. Elder Celestials. Guards.
We must engage."
A thousand divine circles lit the sky.
The ground shook as 10,000 Celestial Guards formed ranks—their armor blazing, each one able to obliterate continents.
Behind them rose the 20 Elder Celestials, luminous and towering, each a conqueror of universes.
And at the front—
the Ten High Sons, luminous weapons drawn, wings unfurled, eyes burning with arrogant fury.
Three figures faced them.
Lucien's clone.
Guru.
Vaelion.
Guru cracked his neck, excited.
"Finally."
Vaelion's grin widened.
"Been centuries since I've broken Heaven."
Lucien simply sighed.
The Celestial Guards charged.
Their war cry shook the skies:
"FOR HEAVEEEEEN—!!!"
"The Celestial Guards charged, thinking they had a chance to win…"
"…but how pitiful."
"For in truth—"
"they were running toward certain death."