In Maya mythology, Quetzalcoatl was the almighty god, the god of war, and the king of conquest. In South America, her status was on par with Zeus and Odin, and her strength was beyond question.
Legend had it that in the distant Cretaceous period, long before humanity was born, an apocalyptic meteor crossed space and struck South America, causing an unprecedented explosion.
The terrifying shockwave drove the dinosaurs to extinction, while the bacteria carried upon it gradually transformed the entire environment of Earth, even affecting the foundations of the Maya gods' Divinity.
Thus, in a certain sense, the South American pantheon also possessed a Divinity of the Demon Realm that came from the stars.
Since the power of the gods upon the earth was difficult to bring to bear, Samael had placed his hope of destroying Velber's main body on Kukulkan, who possessed that Divinity of the Demon Realm.
Crack!
Amid a sharp, piercing tremor, the blazing white stellar ring shattered inch by inch beneath the impact of the burning meteor. Rising serpents of fire shrieked violently, and the big sister of Maya mythology standing within the flames had her armor break apart, her long hair bursting free of her crown and flying loose.
Boom!
Her fiercely descending thigh, carrying the force of thunder, was about to break through the final barrier and slam into Velber's main body. Dazzling radiance spilled across ten thousand li, like a star burning fiercely before the eyes of the gods.
Under that devastating impact, the upper half of the white colossus that bore the brunt of the blow rapidly broke apart within the radiance.
Success!
The gods looked at the Star of the Demon Broom, now fully exposed inside the white colossus's melted abdomen, and wild joy surged in their hearts.
"Laaaaa!"
However, just as the white colossus was about to collapse completely, the pulsing stellar core trembled violently, and a high, resonant hymn unleashed a blazing Ether storm.
In an instant, Kukulkan, her divine might exhausted, was hurled backward by the surging shockwave at meteor-like speed.
Bzzzzzz!
Amid the sustained tremor, what horrified everyone even more was that the shattered blazing white stellar ring, compressed to the limit by the great impact, produced a roar like the birth of the universe. The already fragile World Wall around them instantly crumbled apart.
The Gates of Heaven opened wide, and blazing white holy light scattered down through the fissures of the world.
Countless rays of starlight descended from the staggered void, gathering around the newly reformed white colossus and forming seven bands of light in different colors, like seven celestial realms.
Faintly, streams in the Kingdom of Heaven murmured with life. Countless luminous Holy Spirits, still gathering their forms, flew up and down while singing hymns. Dense projections of stars filled each region of sky, guided by divine might, adorning the sanctuary behind the white colossus as it became clearer and clearer.
At the same time, the Angelic Legion bathed in holy light saw their divine power surge. They raised their arms and broke away from the battle, flying under the leadership of their respective Archangels into the seven colored bands of light that reflected countless starry rivers.
The sudden lull in the offensive left everyone stunned for a moment.
Samael's cross-shaped star pupils opened and closed. His gaze swept over the seven bands of light and the seven figures guarding their respective regions. His expression stiffened, his pupils contracted slightly, and he murmured the answer.
"The Seven Heavens!"
According to the Book of Enoch's account of Heaven, the Kingdom of Heaven was divided into seven layers, with the moon and stars revolving around the Lord as their center.
The First Heaven: called Shiamaim, governed by Gabriel. The angelic host stationed here also managed the stars, weather, and other phenomena.
Lunar Heaven: the heavenly realm closest to the mortal world, dwelling place of the unwise among the faithful.
The Second Heaven: called Akira, domain of the Archangel Raphael. A prison for certain punished angels was also established here.
Mercury Heaven: the second heaven, where the souls of those who diligently performed good deeds resided after death.
The Third Heaven: Sagoon or Shehkim, ruled by the Power Anael.
Venus Heaven: the dwelling place of passionate souls.
The Fourth Heaven: Zeble or Mahanon, also known by several other names, ruled by the Archangel Michael. The heavenly Jerusalem recorded in Revelation sits in the Solar Heaven, and the Book of Enoch also claims that the Tree of Life grows in the Garden of the Righteous there.
Solar Heaven: the heaven where sages and saints are placed.
The Fifth Heaven: Mahon. The northern part of this heaven is a desolate ruin where the prison of the angels is located, while the south is comfortable and pleasant. The ruler of Mars Heaven is said by some to be Sandalphon, Metatron's twin, and by others to be the fallen angel Samael.
Mars Heaven: the souls of martyrs are granted residence here.
The Sixth Heaven: Zebel or Maccon, the place where angels study knowledge and the stronghold of the Cherubim. Day and night are governed by Zeber and Saabs respectively.
Jupiter Heaven: the dwelling place of wise rulers. Located between the heat of Mars and the cold of Saturn, it has a pleasant climate.
The Seventh Heaven: Arabot, where God's throne is established. Angels circle around it, making it a place filled with glory, and it is divided into three sections.
Saturn Heaven: the souls of hermits and those pure of heart and free of desire dwell here.
Fixed Star Heaven: saints examine the qualifications of believers here.
Crystal Heaven: also known as the Primum Mobile, the dwelling place of God and the source of the universe's motion. The headquarters of the angelic host is located within it.
As starlight descended, the rings of the Seven Heavens grew increasingly solid, like a ten-edged crown resting atop the head of the white colossus. At the center, that immense being gathered spirit particles at a speed visible to the naked eye and reconstructed its body.
Meanwhile, the angels flying through the Seven Heavens sang divine words.
"Holy! Holy! Holy is Jehovah, Lord of Hosts. His radiance fills all the earth! All who are baptized are recalled by the Lord, anointed and marked with his seal to serve the light."
"At the hour of the end, salvation has come. The kingdom of this world shall become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ!"
"He shall reign, who was, and is, and is to come, forever and ever!"
"King of Kings, Holy of Holies!"
"Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"
That magnificent holy hymn spread ripples of sound in every direction, pulling the starry rivers of the Seven Heavens into an inverted rotation. The World Wall protecting the earth twisted and dissolved, and cracks appeared in the sky above Greece.
Beautiful buildings, a paradise of bright mountains and clear waters, a sky glittering with stars, inexhaustible food, life that was nearly eternal, beautiful angels playing sacred hymns day and night, and manna fruit growing from the ground, tempting enough to make one's mouth water.
All the beauty humanity had ever hoped for could be glimpsed by the lives on earth through the outline projected from that fissure.
...
At Thermopylae.
By the true god Ahura Mazda, it was the Kingdom of Heaven! The Kingdom of Heaven had descended!
As blazing white light fell, the Persians who faintly heard its call stared at the eternal realm they had pursued all along. Their eyes went blank, and they murmured in madness, sweet smiles hanging on their faces. Dropping the food and potions in their hands, they walked forward in a daze and unconsciously reached toward those strands of light.
Puff!
But the next instant, blazing white light burst from the orifices of the bodies walking toward the radiance. They burned violently and instantly turned into clouds of ash. Their scattered spirit particles rose like light dust, surging toward the fissure in the sky.
Yet even with such a horrifying scene before their eyes, most people seemed not to see it at all. They continued smiling dreamily and threw themselves toward that beautiful realm. Even many Greeks with weaker wills could not help dropping their weapons and following in the footsteps of the Persians.
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
In an instant, low muffled sounds of bodies bursting rang out one after another through Tanbei Canyon. One pure white phantom after another, wrapped in spirit particles and wearing satisfied smiles, was drawn toward the wondrous Kingdom of Heaven beyond the fissure in the sky.