Chapter 184 - The Meeting Of Gods

The room was well lit with various ornaments which filled the premises with inexplicable ambiance.

Lights made by jewels, as well as mind-blowing patterns were carved on the walls across the room.

The floors were tarred with gold, and surrounding the ground floor, were countless sears which were designed regally.

Impatient beings sat on their respective seats, all anxiously waiting for whoever called for the symposium.

The auditorium, as it were, was filled with dead silence. Though everyone's face was lit with curiosity, no one tried to utter a single word.

Finally, someone began approaching the stage at the center of the hall, and everyone's eyes lit as the host stood before them all.

"I welcome you all, to our celestial convergence!

" The one who addressed them all spoke in a booming voice, allowing the uncountable members of the audience to hear his voice.

Standing to address the crowd was an entity clad in golden regalia. Donning a veil that covered nearly all parts of his body, he held a staff. Everyone's eyes nearly pooped out of their sockets as they observed his stance.

If there was such a thing as an effect beyond silence, such was the occasion.

"As you all know, my name is A'Hura M'Azdah, head of the council of gods... And the host of today's event

"

Yes, this was a meeting of gods, high above in the celestial realm. The Grand symposium which represented the Great Sacred Hall, was where the gods of every concept of existence gathered.

A'Hura's words attracted the interest of everyone. As one of the Top 10 greatest gods in existence, he was famed to create concepts of creation, a direct subordinate of the Primordial Gilga, himself.

A hand was suddenly raised by one of the gods seated directly facing the host. He was on the ground floor, the same level as the stage, alongside eight others. The nine who sat at the seat were known to be the most powerful of all the gods, besides A'Hura.

The gods diverted their attention to the one who raised his hand.

"You have something to say, Shiva?

" The host god asked, narrowing his eyes at the four-armed god who sat comfortably on his chair.

Shiva rose from his seat, showing his extremely muscular and purple body to the crowd. A slight glare appeared on his face.

"What is the meaning of this, old fart?

" He asked defiantly.

Even though everyone had their mouths shut, he did not care for hierarchy, neither did he fear the god who stood on the stage.

"Why did you have to gather everyone here? In the first place, who gave you such authority? You might be the head of us all, but only the Primordial ones have the right to command the convergence of every single god! What could have been so important that you had to make me come all the way here?

" Shive pointed out impatiently, making it evident that he was displeased by the nature of the meeting and had other things to do.

The others who sat beside him were quiet. Some were uninterested in Shiva's words, more focused on the goal of their gathering. Some did not want to upset A'Hura, while some didn't even care. They merely waited for the meeting to end.

"Shiva. You realize that this outburst of yours is highly unfit for one of your ranking. Besides, if the subject matter was of very little importance, I would not have gathered us all here...

" A'Hura stated.

"If it was so important, I'm pretty sure I would have heard of it!

" Shiva sneered.

"Really? You would know something that even the Primordials have yet to find out?

" A'Hura narrowed his eyes in a whisper.

This caused an uproar among the gods, as whispers and mumblings filled the hall. The impatience and curiosity that had been welling up in their hearts finally exploded.

"Silence!

" A'Hura commanded.

Instantly, the giant symposium fell silent once again.

"What nonsense are you spouting? You mean, you brought us all together to deliberate on something the Primordial ones haven't been notified of? Do you realize what this means?

" Shiva asked, banging one of his four fists on the table placed before him.

A'Hura appeared a little flustered, not by Shiva's words, but by the nature of the subject matter itself.

"Going behind the Primordial ones to host this meeting. Do you understand the consequences of-

"

"Do not insult me, I perfectly understand. You're eons too early to question my knowledge, brat!

" A'Hura finally frowned, interrupting Shiva's protest.

It was Shiva's turn to fall silent. He didn't intend on provoking him to that extent, but Shiva still couldn't comprehend why a balance keeper such as A'Hura would not inform the Primordial ones of a matter which he deemed to be of utmost importance... Important enough to gather all the gods.

"Huu...

" Shiva gave a heavy sigh and returned to his seat.

Perhaps he had been too impatient.

"Now then, I apologize for the interruption. It's time to delve into the issue for contention which has brought us all together... A matter which must be resolved before the Primordials take notice of...

"

The crowd eagerly waited for the words of the elderly host, and the nine top gods all had some degree of interest in what would proceed from A'Hura's mouth.

"... A Hero is dead!

"

The bombshell landed, and for a moment, the gods took some time to process what had been said. But, as soon as they realized this... The crowd erupted in chaos, anxiety, confusion, fear, and even more interest.

"It appears I have finally gotten the attention of everyone here.

" A'Hura continued, dying down the noise that had pervaded the hall.

"Who was it? Jasmine? Helios? Philip?!

" Shiva burst out in shock and curiosity.

A'Hura shook his head to all of them.

"It was the one stationed at a city known by the residents of the kingdom to be 'Artia'.

"

The gods all stared at each other in slight confusion, not fully certain of what to make of A'Hura's statement.

After all, they did not know of any true Hero who was in Artia.

"Lord A'Hura... Am I correct in assuming that you speak of a defective Hero? One who houses a 'failed god'?

" A feminine voice sounded among the nine high gods.

Her beautiful appearance stunned the gods who looked in her direction to find the one who spoke up.

Her body glistened in white and gold, matching the color of her hair. Covering her clear skin was shiny linen, filled with several designs of indescribable beauty, with tiny orbs of light dancing around her.

"You are right, Amaterasu. It is the failed Hero, Jared. The one who housed the first of the artificial god, and a failed prototype.

" A'Hura answered.

"What the-?! You called us all here because some useless defect died? Who cares about that?!

" Shiva answered, visibly upset by the triviality of the matter.

"Calm yourself, Lord Shiva. I am certain Lord A'Hura has a reasonable explanation for this.

" Amaterasu spoke in her soothing tone.

"Tch!

" Shiva let out in dissatisfaction as he kept quiet once again.

"Now then, I'm certain many of you are wondering the same thing as the great god, Shiva. Why would there be a gathering of all the gods for the death of a single Hero, and a failed one at that.

" A'Hura resumed his address.

"However, it is not just the death of the Hero that calls for concern, but the nature of the occurrence itself.

"

Upon hearing this, most of the gods became rekindled their interest in the matter.

"A Hero can not be killed by ordinary means, to begin with, even a failed one such as Jared. I know it is not impossible, as there are a few beasts and men who could perform such a feat, but the Hero's death did not come about by any of these.

A wave of unease began to waft about the hall, making some of the gods a little anxious about the words of the host.

"I personally am not sure how it happened, however... After observing the archives, I noticed a slight anomaly in the world before the signature of the Heroes vanished. The Hero used his Gift, and transported himself to his world. However, as is the case of all Gifts, traces of the Aspects they emit remain in the normal world, allowing us to trace their whereabouts.

"

"However... This Hero's Gift Aspect vanished without a trace. Not only that but in a split moment, fractured in time, though it was very difficult to notice even for me... I saw it!

" A'Hura muttered.

"You saw what?

" Shiva asked, feeling a little nervous by the old man's use of suspense.

"The accursed Aspect of the one who caused the great calamity all those time ago... The one who swallows all. The one who challenged his fellow kinsmen and nearly succeeded in driving the entirety of creation into nothingness!

" A'Hura stated.

Voices of unrest filled the air as fear slowly spread across the room.

They were all aware of the one whom the host referred to. The single Primordial who succeeded in killing one-third of the gods, and devastated the heavens and all the realms in existence. The one who was finally defeated by his siblings before he could succeed in his malevolent plan... forever silenced in death.

"Yes! I sensed the Aspect Of The Void, belonging to none other than Hexarion, the Evil Primordial!

" A'Hura declared.

Shiva trembled on his seat. Now he knew why the leader refused to make this knowledge known to the Primordial ones. The Aspect of the rogue Primordial had not been sensed since his death, and the true Aspect was sealed away by the Primordials.

If indeed a Void Aspect surfaced, that could only mean one thing... Trouble!

"Which is why I have called this symposium. The fact that none of those are aware of this means that the culprit has found a way to avoid our watchful gaze. However, this also means they are not in a condition to fight against us and win!

"

"Therefore, before the Primordial ones become aware of this rising menace... It is up to us, the gods... To completely and utterly exterminate it once and for all!

"

The gods had no choice but to agree, giving their voices of consent. Most responded out of fear and anxiety, while a few were out of revenge.

However, there sat a god amongst everyone else who couldn't help but smile to himself as he chuckled underneath his breath.

"Oh, Hexarion.... So you're finally back!

"