"Miyuki, Sophia, Akash, Nadia, Ana, Ron, James, and Kevin, I genuinely appreciate your introductions." With a smile goddess Rebecca again spoke, "And now, I hope I can continue my explanation without any disturbance this time."
Hearing her words, all eight humans nodded.
"So, where should I begin?" She thought for a second or two.
"Hmm, yes." Saying that, she raised her left hand, and a holographic screen appeared in front of the eight humans. It was the same image that the goddess was looking at before arriving at the divine hall.
"The planetary system that you are currently looking at is called 'Crown of Rebecca'. As you can guess from it name, it is a solar system that is under my protection.
And also as are able to see it has four terrestrial bodies rotating in it; the largest is called Deucalion.
Deucalion has three moons in its surrounding orbit; the one you're seeing now is called Pandora."
As she said that the image zoomed in towards the moon called Pandora. "The only world that has a liveable environment in this planetary system is Pandora."
"Pandora is a world that is second only to the celestial realm in term of its beautiful environment. The planet is filled with mana, which is the source of everything in this universe.
Mana is something that you would learn about in the future, so for now let's focus on Pandora.
Centuries ago, the realm of Pandora thrived with diverse inhabitants, each holding its own unique identity.
Among them were humans, elves, dwarfs, beasts, and dragons – the prominent figures shaping the tapestry of this world.
While a plethora of other creatures also called Pandora home, these five were the cornerstone of its civilizations.
However, the course of history took a dark turn more than a century ago. Today, over a hundred years later, an unsettling transformation has transpired – nearly a third of the Pandora's landmass, and possibly even more, of the largest of the two continents, are now under the dominion of the beings known as know Demons.
It was nearly a century ago when an unprecedented force emerged, heralding a cataclysmic shift in Pandora's fate.
This entity, whose origin remains shrouded in mystery, rose to unfathomable power. Accompanied by an army of darkness, they wrought havoc upon the two mightiest bastions of civilization in Pandora: the once-mighty Human Empire and the venerable Beast Kingdom of the beast race.
This abrupt and devastating upheaval reshaped the landscape, plunging the realm into chaos and altering the very fabric of life.
The prosperous cities and thriving cultures that once defined Pandora now exist as fragmented memories, fading into the shadows as the world grapples with a new, sinister order.
Under the dominion of the formidable "Demon Emperor Alioth," the ruler of the Demons, a fervent desire to eradicate all other forms of life from the realm of Pandora takes hold.
His insidious ambition knows no bounds as he seeks to ensure the absolute supremacy of his own kind, leaving no room for the existence of any other living beings.
And if without our intervention he might be successful in it too. Currently, the only humans standing in his way are the four Holy Kingdoms of humans that situated in the upper part of the main continent.
As you can see in this holographic image, the grey area is the territory of the demons, and the land above it is where the four Kingdoms of humans: Ellylon, Kasera, Harland, and Forland are located."
Through the mesmerizing holographic projection, the intricate geography of Pandora comes to life. The expanse shrouded in shades of grey represents the dominion of the demons, a territory vast and foreboding.
Above it, a tapestry of four distinct kingdoms unfurls: Ellylon, Kasera, Harland, and Forland.
These realms, teeming with their own rich histories and cultures, stand as bastions of resistance against the encroaching darkness of the demon-claimed lands.
"Adjacent to Kasera and Forland, on the western side of the holographic display, lies a vast territory reserved for the dwelling of various sentient races inhabiting Pandora.
Among them are the graceful Elves, the industrious Dwarfs, and an array of other intelligent life forms.
Unfortunately they don't co-operate with the humans on their quest to defeat the demons as they think they have nothing to fear even after everything that have happened.
And the smaller continent on the south-west of the planet was once called the Land of beasts, also known as the Beast Kingdom.
Turning their attention to the smaller landmass situated to the west of the primary continent, to a realm once known as the "Beast Kingdom."
"The only two kingdoms that share a border with the demon empire are Ellylon and Kasera. But the other two kingdoms are also involved in this war. But they will still lose against the demons and it because of one reason only."
Taking a breath, she continued
"You see, the Demon Emperor is a being of Demi-god rank, one rank below the rank of God; one rank below us. The humans, they don't have anyone at that power level.
And we, the gods, are forbidden to descend on Pandora or even directly hurt the Demon Emperor with our powers since the universe's supreme rules restrictes us and prevents us or any being from the higher realm from descending into a lower realm."
"That is why we have summoned you...." Goddess Rebecca suddenly stopped speaking and narrowed her eyes, looking toward the eight humans; no, her gaze was not on the eight humans but toward the magic circle that they stood on, which was starting to light up again.
"This…." She wasn't the only one who was looking toward it with a perplexed expression at what was happening.
The other goddess also saw the magic circle light up, and they all looked toward each other in bewilderment.
The eight humans also realized something was wrong and moved away from the magic circle. Soon a single pillar of light rose from the magic circle, reaching the ceiling of the hall, and the same thunderclap sound that was heard a while ago reverted again in everyone's ear.
Then, after another second, the pillar of light vanished into thin air, just like it had appeared.
On the spot where the pillar was just seconds ago, now stood a weak-looking young man who had his face covered by both of his arms.
His arms slowly descended, and he opened his eyes, which widened the second he saw his surroundings.
"Who are you?" the goddess Rebecca asked in shock at the suddenly appearing human.
Karna, hearing the question, looked around himself in shock. One second, he had been standing in front of a bakery, and the next, he was in a magnificent hall.
To make matters worse for Karna, who was an average-looking introvert, to suddenly be standing in a hall, surrounded by the most handsome and beautiful men and women he had ever seen, was his worst dream come true.
Not only that, all these people were looking toward him. His heart was racing like crazy, and the nervousness he was experiencing was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life before.
"Answer the question, human!" Athena's stern voice reverberated through the air, instilling a sense of authority and urgency.
Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure enveloped Karna, leaving him gasping for breath as it bore down upon him.
Unable to withstand its weight, he collapsed to his knees, the intensity of the pressure threatening to overpower his senses.
As Karna teetered on the brink of losing consciousness, a gentle and calming voice emanated from the woman's side, its soothing tones cutting through the oppressive force that had beset him.
Miraculously, the suffocating pressure dissipated as swiftly as it had materialized, leaving Karna relieved and restored.
"That's enough, Athena." Luxuria was the one who spoke this time. She gave Athena an angry glance before turning to face Karna and saying something.
"He is a mere mortal; what on earth are you doing subjecting him to such pressure?"
"I just wanted him to..."
"That's enough! And Luxuria is right; what you did was wrong, Athena." goddess Rebecca intertwining between the two said in a stern voice.
"I apologize, Goddess Rebecca."
Goddess Rebecca's gaze fixed upon Karna, her ethereal presence imbued with tranquillity. With a graceful gesture, she raised her hand, and an inexplicable serenity washed over him, soothing his agitated heart and pacifying his troubled thoughts.
Emboldened, Karna slowly rose to his feet, his expression a mix of confusion and awe.
"Child, I implore you to share your name with me," the goddess spoke, her voice a gentle cadence.
"Furthermore, how did you find yourself in this realm?" Her inquiries held a serene curiosity, emanating a sense of wisdom and compassion.
Karna answered and went on to say his name. He also said that he didn't know how he came here and only remembered being covered by white light.
Hearing his answer, she arched her eyebrows in perplexity.
"A ninth summon. How is this possible?"
Even those on the lowest platform looked toward each other in confusion and bewilderment.
Seeing this, Rebecca sighed and then spoke.
"Let's take this somewhere else."
And with those words, except for Hephaestus, everyone else—who just a second ago stood on the second platform of the divine hall—were all moved to a large room that was equally majestic as the hall.