When he left the Mythical River, he was greeted by a majestic manor atop a hill filled with lavender. He stood at the foot of the hill, marvelling at the sight before him.
He could tell just by looking at the pathway made of Rose Jade that the wealth this hill holds is greater than some countries. He cherished every step he took as he climbed the hill, smelling the flowers and looking over the thick forest that surrounded the entire hill.
There was no doubt in his mind, it was exactly the same as in the books.
'There lay a hill amidst a sea of life, its path, paved by gentleness and purity, its land, adorned with purple jewels. The hill that houses the laws of the world, the chain of every sovereign. The Hill of Codes.'
Zael was still busy enjoying the scenery when his skin crawled as danger came near him.
"Bang!" A loud sound of a person crashing against the pathway reached his ear as he saw a muscular man with glowing yellow hair like the mane of a lion appear before him.
"This path is not for you to walk. Return whence you came from!" he shouted in great majesty.
Zael did not hesitate, though. Behind him, a Blue Star glowed once more; however, this time, it did not reveal the river. Instead, it showed a celestial being clothed with light. The image seemed to capture the very essence of light itself, the radiance of it all.
Seeing this, the man before him prepared for battle as well. Five Yellow Stelle appeared behind the man, creating the image of a lion that possessed power itself.
"ROARR!!"
The man came rushing down at Zael, bearing down a massive force that could shatter rocks just from the wind it carries.
{Aether: Primordial Celestial of Light}
As Zael used his power, his entire being turned into light itself, passing through the lion punch in great ease.
"What in the Constellations is that?!" the man cried in shock as he stared at Zael in utter disbelief.
'Aether, the Primordial Celestial of Light, is an obscure Constellation. Information about this is tightly kept within the House of Radiance, an elite family pretty much like ours before, but significantly weaker. Hm, I thought the Celestial Agents would still have known about it, though. Were they weaker than I imagined them to be?' Zael thought as he evaluated his opponent.
The man-lion continued his barrage, channeling the power of his Constellation more and more as he continued to strike.
'There it is, the Constellation Leo, the lion. Every second the fight lingers, its vessel becomes stronger and stronger. Theoretically, given enough time, it can overpower any of the other Constellations in terms of raw strength.'
"I have seen enough." Zael commented before placing his palms together.
{Primordial Celestial of Light: Material Radiance}
A wide beam of light blasted at the man, delivering him to the foot of the hill. Zael did not think for a second that it would kill him, for it was not his intention to. He simply turned away and continued to hike.
However, he hadn't yet taken three steps when a chill ran down his spine. It was unlike before; this time, he sensed a massive threat.
"I must say, you are an exceptional kid. Too bad, you loitered in the wrong place," an even larger man, 2.5 meters in height and built like a tank, suddenly appeared before Zael's face.
Unlike the kid from before, he exuded even more terrifying aura. Behind him was a massive Blue Stella that served as the right eye of the lion that was bearing its fangs against him.
"State your name and you may live," the monstrous man before him announced.
Countless thoughts entered Zael's mind. He analyzed many ways as to how he should deal with the situation, but alas, the best way was to answer the man's question.
"Zael. I came here to become a part of the Celestial Agents."
"Well, you are certainly not bad. You defeated my disciple after all, quite easily at that. However, power is not the only basis for being a part of the Celestial Agent," the man said as the image of the lion beside him roared.
"What does it take then?"
"Recommendation."
The man said before unleashing a blow that tore a massive hole below the hill. It created a hole in Zael's stomach as well as he failed to dodge the attack. However, just like before, it still returned to its original form like light.
Curiously, the hole that was formed was not a perfect circle. Instead, it was the image of the blow and everything below it. Just like how paper would block light, it cut off not just the place of the paper, but everything after the paper as well.
"Primordial Celestial of Light, huh? Interesting, you don't seem like you're from the House of Radiance. Still, I found your core now," the man said with a wide smile.
From then on, he only attacked Zael's chest, forcing him to dodge every time.
'He immediately found out that my chest is the source of my light. If it is the one that is hit, it is no better than taking direct damage. I need to reevaluate my opinion of the Celestial Agents. It seems like this one is the real deal. Not to mention, he has Leo. The longer this goes, the more troublesome it will get!'
Zael blinked to create a wide enough distance to allow for his spell. He knew that there was no point in making this linger any longer.
{Primordial Celestial of Light: Sword of Judgement}
A material sword made of light manifested above the man. Its size was comparable to a bus, falling with enough speed to pierce the Rose Jade pathway famed for its toughness.
"Ha! I, Marcus, recognize you, kid. You do know some tricks!"
{Leo, Zodiac Constellation of Lion: 1st Origin}
The Blue Stella behind him grew even brighter as it shed its skin and revealed a star with the mark of a Lion.
Marcus' body instantly changed, his hair turned to main and his eyes became golden. He grew half his size and became even more ferocious than before.
"A Starbearer."
"ROARRRRR!!!" with a scream, Marcus shattered Zael's spell into pieces.
Every trick crumbles before absolute power.