To most Paragon warriors, divine beings were nothing more than myths. Stories cooked up by clan leaders. Tales meant to push their members to train harder and aim higher.
The reason was simple.
The Nine Divine Beings never made public appearances. Not at normal Paragon events. Not at yearly gatherings. Most warriors didn't even know what a divine being looked like.
But there was one thing everyone agreed on.
When a divine being finally appeared, no one needed an introduction.
You would know.
The Paragon Battle Royal was an event sponsored directly by the Nine Divine Beings. Because of that, one or two of them usually observed the event from afar. Hidden. Unseen. Never stepping into public view.
Even then, seeing a divine being during the Battle Royal was rare. Extremely rare. And when it happened, it was never open to everyone.
This year was different.
Something had changed.
For a reason no one understood, a divine being had chosen to appear openly. Right above the coliseum. In front of every Paragon warrior present.
Thunder continued to roar through the sky.
Lightning dropped from the heavens like thick ropes, striking down again and again. Each strike shook the ground. Each boom rattled the air.
Then people saw them.
Floating high above the coliseum were three figures.
Two of them stood slightly behind the center figure. They wore full silver armor, styled like ancient medieval knights. The armor covered everything—body, face, even their heads. No skin showed. No emotion leaked out.
These two were known as the Divine Guard.
They simply hovered there, silent and absolute, their presence alone pressing down on everyone below.
Between the two guards floated a man who looked both old and young at the same time.
He had a white beard framing his mouth, neat and calm. A silver crown rested on his head, simple but heavy with authority. His body was wrapped in a long white robe that moved gently with the wind. Even through the robe, people could sense it—his build was firm, controlled, powerful. Not frail. Not weak.
This was Jovisrax.
One of the Divine Beings.
A figure who originated from the Storm Faction.
The three of them remained suspended in the sky, looking down at everyone below. They did not speak. They did not move. Yet the pressure of their presence alone filled the entire coliseum.
Lucius was the first to react.
He dropped to his knees.
Not slowly. Not hesitating. He went down immediately, both knees hitting the ground.
The rest of the Wyndhams were already kneeling. Even though the crushing pressure from Lucius's qi had vanished, none of them dared to stand. Their heads stayed lowered. Their bodies stayed still.
Across the battlefield, the same thing happened.
Every fight stopped.
Every clash ended.
Warriors who moments ago were trying to kill each other now fell to their knees one after another. Dust settled. Weapons dropped. Silence spread.
'So this is a divine being,' Alex thought as he looked up at Jovisrax.
Lightning still crawled across the sky. Thunder rolled above them. A sudden storm had formed out of nowhere.
'The lightning. The thunder. The storm itself,' Alex thought.
'It reminds me of that night at the Vornshade Clan,' he added.
Alex had never seen a divine being before. This was his first time. Strangely, the fear he expected didn't fully arrive. His chest felt tight, yes—but not crushed.
'If the Dragon Roar Clan is hiding from people like this,' he thought, steadying his breath, 'then they must be monsters themselves.'
'Heck… the entire Paragon world respects and worships them,' Alex thought.
That realization hit him hard.
Then something else caught his attention.
Alex shifted his gaze toward the Khyphon Clan.
'What are you doing… why aren't you kneeling?' he thought.
The Khyphon member he had suspected earlier—the one he believed was from the Dragon Roar Clan—was still standing. He hadn't moved. His hooded figure remained upright, facing the Wyndhams.
When Alex looked at him, a strange feeling crawled up his spine.
It felt like the man was looking back.
Not casually. Not by chance.
The look felt sharp. Cold. Unpleasant.
For a brief moment, Alex truly thought the man wouldn't kneel at all.
Then, slowly, the Khyphon member moved.
His back bent.
His posture lowered.
He leaned forward and went down on one knee.
Only then did Alex release a quiet breath he didn't realize he had been holding.
He turned his attention back to the sky, back to Jovisrax.
Meanwhile, still floating above the battlefield, a wild smile crept onto Jovisrax's face.
"A fight for an invitation card… at this scale," Jovisrax said.
His voice was deep. Calm. Yet it carried across the entire coliseum as if he were standing beside everyone at once.
"I was wondering when something like this would finally happen."
The sound of his words sent shivers through every warrior present.
"And it happened right here," he continued, eyes sweeping across the field, "at the very event grounds of the tournament."
"But… we were told to—"
Someone suddenly stood up, trying to speak.
Bang!
Mid-sentence, a lightning bolt tore down from the sky.
It struck the exact spot where the man had been standing.
The ground exploded inward. Stone burned black. A deep crater formed at the center, smoke and scorched dust rising into the air.
As for the man who tried to speak—
He was gone.
No body. No sound. Nothing left behind.
"You dare interrupt a divine being while he speaks," one of the divine guards said calmly.
His voice carried no anger.
That made it worse.
The entire place went dead silent. No one moved. No one even breathed too loudly.
Jovisrax didn't blink.
He didn't look at the crater. He didn't acknowledge what had just happened.
He simply continued.
"Well… I don't really care what you were doing before this," Jovisrax said.
His eyes swept the battlefield again.
"In the Paragon realm, there is no place for the weak."
His voice remained steady. Absolute.
"If you proved yourself worthy enough to take part in this event," he continued, "then you deserve to be here."
No one responded.
No one dared.
Jovisrax scanned the area once more, his gaze slow and deliberate.
Then his eyes stopped.
They locked onto a single group.
The Synapse Circle.
They were the only ones still standing.
Among hundreds of kneeling warriors, they alone had not gone down.
Without saying another word, Jovisrax moved.
His body shot forward through the air in a blur of light and storm, crossing the distance in an instant.
He landed directly in front of the Synapse Circle.
Meanwhile, those who were watching weren't as shocked as expected.
The Synapse Circle was a major clan. Big enough that getting the attention of a divine being wasn't strange at all. If anything, people had been waiting for it.
What truly caught everyone off guard was how calm the Synapse Circle remained when Jovisrax approached them.
They stood there as if nothing had changed.
Around them, the rest of the clans stayed frozen. Even with Jovisrax's attention pulled away, not a single person dared to rise. Knees stayed on the ground. Heads stayed lowered.
"You people finally decided to participate in this event," Jovisrax said, his voice steady.
"Let me guess," he continued, tilting his head slightly. "You now need the help of the divine beings."
"Haha…"
Draven laughed.
It was casual. Almost mocking.
"The help of divine beings?" Draven said. "For what, exactly?"
He spread his arms slightly, his tone open and unguarded.
"We're here to show the world how strong the Synapse Circle truly is," he said, not bothering to hide their intent.
Then his smile sharpened.
"And you can stop calling yourself a divine being when you speak to us," Draven added. "You know we know what you really are."
The arrogance in his voice was clear. Deliberate.
Jovisrax smiled.
It wasn't a warm smile.
It wasn't an angry one either.
It was the kind of smile that hid many emotions underneath.
Draven noticed.
"We'll see whether you're prepared for what awaits you in the Battle Royal," Jovisrax said calmly.
Lightning gathered around his body.
It climbed upward like living light, tore into the sky, then slammed back down into the Colosseum in roaring arcs.
Thunder followed.
Then, just as suddenly, it all stopped.
The storm vanished. The pressure lifted. Jovisrax was gone.
Only then did people begin to rise to their feet, slowly and carefully.
Even now, no one dared restart the fighting. No one moved to attack.
The battlefield stayed silent.
Lucius glanced at the Khyphon Clan for a brief moment, his eyes cold.
Then he turned away.
"Let's go," Lucius said.
"Get ready for the tournament."