Meanwhile, on the divine hall's second platform, eight figures stood encircled by the fading light of the magic circle.
They were now fully visible to the spectators on the first and second platforms, their appearances offering a mixture of elegance and vigour.
As the last echoes of the magic circle's light dissipated, the eight individuals took in the altered landscape before them.
"What the heck?! What is this place?! What just happened?! Where in the world I am?!" Question like these spewed out of their mouth one after other.
A collective gasp sounded as they beheld their surroundings, their eyes widening in awe and curiosity.
From this eight figures were four young and four women, who looked to be in their early 20's. Apart from one boy and girl, all bore fair skin; As for the two who didn't, had olive skin tone making them unicorns of the eight.
"Greetings, Humans." the mellifluous voice of Goddess Rebecca reverberated, capturing the attention of the eight humans.
Her descent was mirrored by the other divine beings and Hephaestus, who joined her on the platform.
The presence of the golden-haired goddess, along with the three women beside her, held the rapt attention of the eight individuals. The seven women, each adorned in a vivid spectrum of colours, radiated an aura of distinctive allure.
"I, Supreme Goddess Rebecca from the celestial realm extend my welcome to all of you from the lower realm of mortals."
Among them stood a young woman of unmistakable Japanese heritage, draped in a pristine white yukata adorned with delicate violet petals.
Hearing this, the young woman's forehead furrowed as she voiced the questions that swirled within the collective consciousness.
"May I ask, where are we? And who are all of you?" She questions with caution and respect at the same time.
Her words hung in the air, drawing the collective gaze of the other seven humans towards person who named herself as a Goddess.
The women's question reverberated, a manifestation of their shared desire to unravel the mysteries of their environment and the identities of those who stood alongside them.
Responding to this query, Goddess Rebecca's soothing voice flowed forth, akin to a mother's gentle reassurance.
"First calm yourselves, my children. Calm yourself."
Following her soothing voice was a gentle warm breeze that envelop the eight figures, instantly dissipating the weariness and apprehension that had accumulated within them.
Fascinated by this unexpected occurrence, the eight humans directed their bewildered gazes towards the source, the golden-haired goddess.
The Japanese woman inquired once more, this time with a tranquil inflection, "What just happened?"
Rebecca responded.
"Rest easy; Your recent experiences have subjected your mortal bodies and spirits to great stress."
"In a gesture of faith, I have alleviated this burden that were both on your body and mind caused by the summoning."
The eight humans found themselves captivated by the extraordinary phenomenon; their attention fixated on the enchanting goddess before them.
"Now, let us proceed to something important. First, I invite you to place your hands upon the radiant blue orbs hovering before you."
As her words concluded, a set of eight azure orbs materialized in front of the humans, emanating an ethereal glow.
Luxuria, her gaze fixed on the orbs, momentarily narrowed her eyes, a fleeting hint of suspicion crossing her features.
The sudden appearance of the orbs captured the attention of all eight individuals, prompting exchanged glances and silent queries about who would take the initiative.
Confused and hesitant they kept looked at each other not knowing what would happen if they touched the orbs.
Seeing their hesitant faces, Rebecca spoke out, "I assure you these are not to harm you."
Ultimately, a unanimous decision was reached, and they collectively closed their eyes and extended their hands, allowing their palms to make contact with the cool, velvety surface of the orbs.
A shared sensation rippled through them as they made contact with the orbs' surface, feeling its smooth, cold texture beneath their palms.
In an instant, as if obeying an unseen command, the orbs dissolved into the their hands, leaving behind a sense of lingering energy on their palm.
Goddess Rebecca's voice resonated with exhilaration, her expression reflecting the same sentiment.
"Splendid. All of you have a High-level ranked Mana affinity backed by an Excellent rank talent to be great heroes."
The humans, startled by the sudden evaporation of the orbs, focused their attention on the goddess's words, their curiosity overcoming their initial confusion.
This time, the Japanese woman's voice was steady as she pressed for clarification again, "And now?"
"Now, for the second matter, allow me to acquaint you with your current circumstances that you are in. Please pose any inquiries after I have provided the information."
Nods of acknowledgment swept through the group.
"As I mentioned earlier, I am Supreme Goddess Rebecca one of the gods and goddess who lives in the celestial realm. By your standards, I am a deity, a higher entity.
All eight of you have been summoned by the help of the Summoning ritual performed by myself with the help of my fellow deities that stand beside me today."
Their gazes converged on the magic circle, absorbing the gravity of their situation.
She continued, "You stand in the what we call 'the gate' a line between our realm and your realm.
This is a manifestation of the original Divine-hall back in the our home world that is one of the Higher realms that exits in the cosmos, where beings like us resides."
We watch over worlds that exits under our realm that usually referred to as Lower realm. Our job is to protect those that contain life and guide them into prosperity."
"Your summoning was initiated because we require your aid to help us protect a lower realm world called Pandora. We need you to defeat–"
Before Goddess Rebecca could conclude her sentence, a male human, bearing the mark of the western side of the Earth due to his looks, interrupted in a brash manner, halting her mid-sentence.
"Let me guess. To defeat the Demon King." The man's unconscious words made silence distance on the second platform.
A hushed silence swept through the hall; all eyes fixed on the human who had dared to speak so audaciously.
His interruption resonated not only for challenging the revered Supreme Goddess Rebecca but also for capturing the essence of their collective truth that shouldn't have been known by the eight individuals yet.