The palace of Heaven that night shimmered like a dream. Golden lanterns floated in the air, casting gentle light over the marble courtyards. The air was filled with the delicate harmony of harp strings and the laughter of immortals. Across the grand hall, dancers swayed beneath glowing chandeliers, and music wove through the crowd like silver threads.
It was a night of beauty, of celebration—a night where even the greatest rivals put aside their differences to enjoy the peace of Heaven.
But peace is fragile.
From the edges of the celebration came a ripple—a stillness in the air that only those attuned to danger could sense. Di Kun, who had always possessed the rare gift of sensing calamity, stiffened. His golden eyes narrowed. Something was wrong.
He rose quietly, slipping away from the festival. His steps were silent, but his heart raced. As he reached Gusu Realm, his worst fears were confirmed. A storm of shadow had descended upon Heaven.
With no time to lose, Di Kun called forth the divine winds and sent a swift message to his siblings—Di K and Di Jun.
"Heaven is under attack. Return immediately."
The message burned in their minds like a warning. Without hesitation, the three Almighty Gods gathered their strength and descended toward the capital of Heaven.
The scene they found was worse than they could have imagined.
The palace gates had fallen. Heavenly guards lay strewn across the marble floors. The banners of Heaven hung torn and bloodied. Smoke curled into the night sky. Everywhere they looked, chaos reigned.
The attackers—an army of the Ghost Realm—moved like shadows in battle, their crimson banners flashing under the moonlight. Heavenly officials fought with desperate valor, but they were outnumbered. The mighty defenses of Heaven had crumbled without warning.
And in the heart of the chaos—Di Kun's voice faltered.
Their Emperor… had been defeated.
The throne room was silent now, save for the groans of the fallen. The Emperor lay overthrown, his armor shattered, his crown stripped away. The banners of Heaven no longer flew in triumph—they hung in ruin.
Di Jun's golden eyes flared with fury. "Sen Ruyon." Her voice was low, dangerous. She knew—this attack was no accident.
But worse still—news reached them that the Empresses had been taken hostage, seized by the Ghost Realm and hidden in their dark fortress.
The weight of the truth pressed on them. Heaven was not merely wounded—it was shattered. And the war had only just begun.
Di K's silver hair shimmered under the moonlight as he turned to his siblings. His voice was calm, but his eyes burned. "Then we fight. We take back Heaven. And we make them pay."
Sen Ruyon, watching from the shadows, let a slow, unreadable smile curl upon his lips. Somewhere in the chaos, his crimson eyes found Di K. And something dangerous gleamed there—a fascination that went beyond war.
The war for Heaven had begun.
The Last Light of Heaven
The battlefield burned with divine fire. The once-silent skies of Heaven echoed with the clash of steel and the cries of war. The soldiers of the Ghost Realm poured through the sacred gates like a flood of darkness, their shadows consuming the golden light of the realm.
Di Jun stood at the center of it all the embodiment of divinity and wrath. Her silver armor glimmered beneath the blood-red sky, her eyes glowing with divine fury. Around her, ten thousand ghost soldiers surrounded the palace. But she did not waver.
"Even if Heaven falls," she whispered, drawing her divine blade, "it will not fall while I still breathe."
Then she struck.
Lightning tore through the clouds as her sword cleaved through the ranks of the Ghost Realm. Every movement was a storm, every strike a hymn of destruction. Alone, she faced ten thousand and one by one, they fell. The ground trembled with her power; the very air burned with her divine might.
Far away, Di Kun broke through the chains of the palace prison. He fought with determination, his every step fueled by loyalty. Finally, he reached the Emperor — frail but alive and freed him from the ghostly bindings that held him captive.
Meanwhile, Di K had taken charge of the heavenly officials. With urgency and care, he gathered the wounded and the terrified, leading them through secret paths toward the Sacred Valley the only remaining safe place in the realm.
"Move!" he shouted, shielding them from dark arrows. "As long as I stand, no harm will come to you!"
But even the Almighty could see the truth the enemy was endless. The Ghost Realm soldiers kept coming, their dark energy spreading like rot through the golden halls of Heaven.
And then… Di Jun made her choice.
Standing before the Heaven Gate — the sacred barrier that encircled the realm and linked it to the mortal and celestial worlds she looked back one final time. The air around her shimmered with divine energy. She could feel the threads of destiny trembling in her grasp.
"If this gate remains," she whispered, "Heaven will never know peace again."
Gathering every fragment of her divine essence, Di Jun lifted her sword toward the sky. The world stilled and then erupted in blinding light.
With a cry that split the heavens, she released her full power. The Heaven Gate shattered into a thousand fragments, bursting into flames that devoured the sky. The explosion echoed through all realms a storm of divine destruction and sorrow.
When the light faded, there was silence.
The Heaven Gate was gone. The path to Heaven was sealed forever.
And Di Jun… was nowhere to be found. Only golden ashes drifted down where she had stood glowing softly like falling stars.
Di Kun fell to his knees, his sword trembling in his hand. Di K stood frozen, tears mixing with the blood on his face.
Their sister the mightiest of them all had vanished to save Heaven.
Tears Worth Diamonds
Even though Heaven had fallen, it had not perished entirely.
The palace still stood—scarred, trembling, but alive—its survival bought with the destruction of the Heaven Gate. That final sacrifice had sealed the realm away from all others, saving its heart while severing its wings.
The Emperor and Empresses were freed, their chains broken, but their eyes reflected nothing but grief. Their kingdom was safe, yet their people scattered. Victory had never felt so hollow.
And for Di K and Di Kun, it felt like the world had ended.
When the news of Di Jun's death reached them, Di K nearly collapsed. The proud, radiant god who once brought laughter to the heavens now trembled like a shattered star. His eyes were swollen red, his face pale, his lips trembling as tears fell—each one glittering like liquid diamonds.
"She was everything," he whispered, voice breaking. "She protected us all… and left me nothing but her ashes."
Di Kun stood beside him in silence. He had always been the pillar, the one who never wept, never faltered. But now even his calm had fractured. The weight in his chest was unbearable—an ache that no divine strength could mend. His sister's death had carved a hollow into his very soul.
Before their grief could fade into resolve, the Ghost Realm struck again.
Bound in dark chains forged from soul metal, Di Kun, Di K, and the four young gods of Gusu were taken captive. Heaven's brightest lights were dragged into the shadowed depths of the Ghost Realm.
Heaven had been spared from ruin—but at the price of its champions.
In the Ghost Realm, where twilight reigned eternal, Sen Ruyon stood watching the prisoners arrive. His expression was unreadable, his heart torn between duty and guilt.
He had never wanted this war. He had never wanted to see Di K the one whose beauty had haunted his thoughts brought in chains. But as the crown prince of the Ghost Realm, defiance was not his choice to make.
He clenched his fists, turning to his subordinates.
"Provide them food," he said quietly. "Give them proper rooms, not cages. They are not our enemies—they are victims of our realm's greed."
The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances but obeyed. None dared question the prince's tone.
Sen Ruyon lingered, his crimson eyes softening as he looked upon Di K. The god's usual playful light was gone, replaced by quiet sorrow. Yet even in grief, he was breathtaking fragile, defiant, beautiful beyond reason.
Sen Ruyon sighed, the words escaping his lips like a confession carried by the wind.
"Even broken," he murmured, "you shine brighter than anyone in this cursed realm."
And in that moment, the prince of the Ghost Realm realized—his heart had become the next battlefield.