"You will all be participating in the War for 30 years, so you need to be prepared. Once back to your worlds, the rules will be simple. You must find and defeat the other Heirs with one of the following conditions; You can simply kill them. You can make them abandon the War, in which case, their Zodiac angel or demon will bring them back here where they will wait until the end of the war. Or you can subdue them and make them your servant. The worlds where you're all from have their own economy, customs, religions, and cultures. They also have their own kingdoms and factions which might aid you in your quest. However you decide to be, the choice will be yours." God explained.
"It will be super difficult to locate the other Heirs in a world as vast as this, therefore, the Zodiacs accompanying you will be granted the power of the 'God's Link'. It will allow them to know the location of the other Heirs. However, the Zodiacs are only observers and they will not assist you in any other way. That is all for the explanation, if you have a question, you may ask now." Ruak completed the explanation.
The room remained silent for a moment until a young female Heir stepped forward. She was not very tall and seemingly frail as well. "So we can win without killing everyone?" The young girl asked, her voice young and pure.
Some Heirs began to laugh, though the majority was indifferent. She turned around and looked at them in panic before bowing her head. Another young lady approached her and put her hand on her shoulder "Don't let people mock you or you will be hurt." The tall girl with yellow hair spoke to the girl. "When you have to choose between eating or being eaten, devour your foes and don't even leave a crumb."
The young girl nodded and turned to face God and the Devil. "It is indeed possible to win without killing, however, I wouldn't advise it," Ruak answered the young girl's question.
"Why's that?" The young girl asked.
"The Heirs are not the only foes you will be facing in this world. There are various dangerous creatures and evil people. And also the Golem." Ruak explained.
Another Heir interjected, "The Golem? What is that?"
"It's an entity we created to give you all a little more challenge." Ruak replied, "It is a powerful being who will awaken during this war, at the most unexpected time. It will chase all of you tirelessly until you're all dead."
"What's the point of this war then?" Another of the Heirs asked.
"We just have to eliminate it, that's all, right?" The young girl asked.
"It will not be that easy. Every time you will kill it, assuming you can, it will be reborn after some time in its temple. The only way to get rid of it indefinitely is to find its temple where we have placed the phylactery that holds its soul. You will then have to make a choice. You can either destroy it and get rid of it or you can undergo a trial to take control of it." Ruak explained and the Heirs began talking amongst themselves.
"If I can make it submit to me it will be a powerful ally."
"It is going to be mine."
"This is madness... It's too dangerous."
"What should I do?" The Heirs were all excited and scared.
"You will all be sent back to your respective worlds, and in five years' time, you will enter the myriad world and the Zodiac War will begin. In the meantime, you can kill your competitors given you're able to find them. Dismissed." Ruak waved his hand and a blinding light appeared for a moment before disappearing again. When it finally cleared, there was nobody else but God and the All Spirit.
Elsewhere…
After arriving at the Tower, Dao Wei wasted no time but went straight to the training ground. He'd exposed almost all his cards and if he wanted to remain anonymous, he had to change a few things.
Dao Wei sat cross-legged in the center of the room, cleared his thoughts, and began going through the techniques he knew. He needed something that wouldn't link him to the Death God but also something simple yet extraordinary.
Dao Wei had read tons of books in his travels and had learned most of the top-rated techniques, but none of them appealed to him. As he was busy in thought, a sharp pain hit his head and he almost lost consciousness.
"Argh!! My head!!" Dao Wei screamed in pain. It felt as if ambient Qi was being forcefully transferred to him from the surroundings.
Every sound began fading and Dao Wei lost all his senses. Everything went pitch black for a moment and when it cleared, the red crystal that had merged with Tian was now in front of him. There was nothing else around but just the crystal floating midair.
"You..." A voice resonated from the crystal, "Yes... Use it!! Use my powers!!" The voice was eerie and filled with malice. "With my help, you'll be the most powerful being in the world!"
"Yes... You can feel it right?" Suddenly lightning strikes enveloped the crystal, "feel it!! Feel my power!! FEEL IT!!!" The surge of power kept rising and rising and the space was now being filled with lightning strikes. "Tasty isn't it? Taste it again!!"
Boom!!
"See?" The power emitted by the stone was so overwhelming that Dao Wei was struck dumb and couldn't move an inch, his voice also seemed to have left him, not to mention his brains.
The scene suddenly changed and now he was somewhere battling two really hot women?! "Qingxue!! Do something!! I can't hold him!!" The other woman with red hair screamed.
There was a dead silver dragon lying not far from the woman with red hair. "I'm trying!!" Song Qingxue yelled back.
"What is this? Visions again?" Dao Wei was shocked by what he was seeing. He was wearing a black robe, but something was off... He had no skin but just bones... He was but a skeleton?!
"Do you see the potential of my power... Girls?" The eerie voice spoke, it was Dao Wei, but also not Dao Wei.
"What... Is... He... Doing?" Dao Wei was struggling to understand anything and all he could do was watch.
"Come here, my dear redhead..." The Skeletal Dao Wei did some movements and the red-haired woman began levitating.
"AHH!!!" The red-haired woman screamed in pain.
"Qingyu look out!!" Song Qingxue yelled but she was too late.
"Don't be jealous, Blondie... I've got enough for you too..." The Skeletal Dao Wei did the same thing on Qingxue and she also levitated.
"Ah!! You bastard!" Song Qingxue screamed in pain.
"Qingxue!!" Song Qingyu called on her sister.
"Get over here!" Skeletal Dao Wei brought the two women closer. Now that he could clearly see their faces, they were terrifyingly beautiful!!!
"Look at you... Both of you look gorgeous... That will make this harder for me... Which of you shall be the vessel for my power? Hmmm... Both of you are quite capable already... But neither of you has any unique abilities... Sad..."
"And you are female... Hmmm... Who should I choose?" The Skeletal Dao Wei seemed to be having his time with the girls. He turned to Song Qingxue, her emerald green eyes glowing charmingly. "Should I take you? Or your sister? What do you say? Let's ask her shall we?"
He turned to Song Qingyu but this time the Golden One was standing behind her and reaching for the skeletal Dao Wei. "What the fuck?! What are you doing here?!"
Before the Skeletal Dao Wei could continue, a sudden burst of golden light cleared the vision and now Dao Wei was in a different dimension. This place was completely white and empty with only the two Old Ones' standing in front of him.
The two seems to be arguing about something but unlike the other times, they were not literally fighting. Although Dao Wei couldn't hear the conversation, they seemed to be oblivious to his presence.
Dao Wei's Sea of Qi was a vast, ever-changing landscape within his consciousness. It was a place of tranquility and turbulence, where the essence of his being coalesced into a powerful force that fueled his cultivation. But today, the Sea was anything but calm. The golden light that typically bathed the area in a serene glow flickered erratically, reflecting the tension that hung thick in the air.
Two figures stood amidst the swirling energies—one cloaked in radiant gold, the other shrouded in an ominous darkness. Their presence was imposing, their forms larger than life, yet they seemed at odds with each other, their heated argument resonating throughout Dao Wei's consciousness.
"You've gone too far this time!" The Golden One's voice boomed, echoing like thunder across the landscape. His figure radiated power and authority, his golden body shimmering with a light that was almost blinding. His eyes, two orbs of pure gold, glared at the figure before him.
The Dark God, in contrast, was a figure of shadows, his form barely discernible against the dark backdrop of the Sea. His voice was deep, almost a growl, carrying with it an undercurrent of menace. "I'm merely guiding him, giving him the push he needs to realize his potential. Or would you rather he remain weak, unprepared for what's to come?"
"You know very well that's not your place!" the Golden One retorted, his tone sharp and unyielding. "We agreed—no interference. He must choose his own path, and face his own challenges. How can he grow if you're constantly manipulating his decisions?"