Ascension of the Nephilim

The sudden attack stunned almost everyone.

Most of the Champions readied their weapons to attack.

It was then that a powerful force attacked the Champion Peridot all the more. The power was one of the basic knight's skills. It was created by condensing the Force Energy and hardening it to make a strong barrier that could block attacks.

Knights were focused on spreading out their Force Energy. But this focus was not meant to deal destructive attacks or create wide-scale destruction. It was used to protect.

"[Wall]!" Ordeus shouted as he released his famous wall that could withstand an entire barrage of Energy Catapults.

The Champions could not attack with the [Wall] skill covering Mezal. Mezal kept pressing his sword down and crushing Peridot into not being able to move.

"I will now reveal your Mark of Servitude!" Mezal shouted as he laughed.

"What?!" Peridot shouted in anger and began to move.

Various shouts could be heard, and some even moved to attack the wall.

DING! DING! DING!

A Barbarian Champion rushed in and delivered massive blows on the Force Energy that surrounded Mezal.

BOOM!

A mage shot a lightning bolt to the wall.

"Release him! This is an outrage!" The mage demanded.

But then...

"Scions of Light! Reveal the darkness of their hearts!" Faye released the magic that she had been chanting.

A bright light flashed and enveloped the room. 

Everyone was caught off guard, and many were too late in casting or using skills and spells that could protect them.

The bright light vanished.

No one was harmed, and many were confused at first.

"My my... Three Champions within this room have served the Eldrich!" Mezal laughed.

The Mage, the Barbarian, and Peridot had a strange dark green light appearing over their foreheads. And it took a few seconds before those nearby raised their arms and pointed their weapons at the two.

"Good call Mezal. No matter what, you are a hero to all the human kingdom! You have revealed a great plan to conquer this world! Three proven Champions who serve the Eldrich!" Ordeus declared.

"How dare you accuse us of lying! This tricks- AHHHH!"

BOOM!

A surge of Holy energy erupted.

"[Purging Aura]!" Drake Vestitude roared.

The Barbarian, the Mage, and Peridot suffered from strange burning energy.

"No more lies! No more cheap tricks! You three are servants of the Eldrich! You! How dare you?!" Drake Vestitude roared.

Mezal could not help but be amazed. Now, this was a true Paladin!

"Purging Aura inflicts holy damage to all nearby as I release my Force and envelop this room. You are affected by this. This is because you have all this mark of darkness! How dare you!?" Drake roared angrily.

Immediately, Mezal sent a secret message to his sons through the message talisman on his hand.

"What?!" The other Champions watched as the three were groaning in pain.

A Quick Blade charged and gave a powerful slash to the Barbarian.

The Barbarian's thick skin prevented the sword from cutting through, but it sent the Barbarian crashing down on the floor.

The mage was attacked by Assassins and brought low.

"It is true. This is an ungodly mark. What language is this?"

"First Word. It is the language spoken by the most ancient of all beings. The Greater Gods and the Fallen!" Mezal revealed.

"That was quite a gamble, Mezal. Offering to me the scroll which depicted the means of revealing the Mark of the Eldrich!" Faye smiled.

"My Lord, thank you for trusting me."

"Champions, I'm sure you've figured out the plan, but Mezal discretely asked me earlier to attack the person he mentions if ever that scroll would be given to someone else. I merely followed his suggestions. Now, Mezal tell me what's going on?" Ordeus asked.

"My arrival here assumed the existence of someone who has been serving the Eldrich. The reason I did so was the fact that three Viscounts were able to enter this region so fast. Before Aron came here in this mountain, we did an investigation to figure out who would go. The Steele family and even my Olander clan have always had an abundance of enemies. And so I kept watching who is there. Suddenly, three Viscount groups went here and have been approved? And by the looks of things, it was a rush decision! One Baron team was missing, but that did not qualify the need to send three Viscounts, especially since the members of the Baron team sent more forces! And I was sure to publicize that my son was alive because his Life Talisman had not shattered!" Mezal revealed.

"So you believed that several Champions were here on that alone?"

"Yes! There were also some implied statements from the vampire and the orc that someone here was helping them. I purposely told my servant Jules not to reveal those conversations. I was hoping that there would arise a mage in this place that I could trust. Then Champion Faye used her magic to prove my claims. I knew that she was someone who did not ally with the Eldrich. So I took a gamble. My actions and Lord Ordeus would draw out the remaining ones as I attacked Peridot and claimed that I could reveal his mark. But the truth was, Faye, who has the instructions and the chant, and who has the magic power to do it, performed the chant secretly while these traitors tried to stop Ordeus and me."

"Peridot, Eclipse, and Stronghold. You three have been secretly supporting orcs and have been trying to make our human kingdom fall?" Drake Vestitude charged.

"That Mezal lies!" Peridot screamed. 

"Not one of us would help an orc! Why would we help the human kingdom fall?! Say we did, are we going to live with orcs?! Even as cultivators, that doesn't make sense! Orcs have their methods of cultivation that aren't compatible with us! This Mezal has made accusations and marked us with this strange magic!" Peridot argued. He shouted and shouted, making various arguments that made sense. But all fell on deaf ears. The proof that two other Champions had the same seal as him was irrefutable.

In truth, the three were as confused as the rest of the Champions. They were servants of the Eldrich, but they have not heard of any plans to make the Orc kingdoms successful. Their job was to prepare places and secretly prepare a transport to send more vampires while doing their best to look innocent. The appearance of the first vampires, Zid of the Bloodblade clan, was a joint work between them. This was also how a vampire troop was able to scale and bypass the outpost and enter the mountain without being detected. 

Mezal threaded carefully and was sure only to reveal the truth of the Eldrich after he convinced everyone that the orcs were behind this. This was done so that by the time he would reveal the Eldrich. The evidence would connect the invisible dots and make these Champions as people who have betrayed humanity.

"Shut up! I move to execute these heretics here and now!" Drake declared.

"Champions! I advise against that! There are many mysteries that we don't know about them! So we have to interrogate them! I suggest that we don't capture or bind them!" Mezal revealed.

"What?! Why?" Ordeus asked.

"Mufufufu. That's a good plan!" Faye had already realized what Mezal wanted.

"I believe Champion Faye has already pierced through the shrouds of my plan. We use these three to bring out more of these traitors who sold out not just their kingdom but their humanity as well!"

"We are not servants of the Eldrich! We are framed!" The mage roared.

"This Mezal lies! We are innocent! He has bewitched you all!" The Barbarian roared.

"Do you three think we are idiots? An orc army is moving. We have been attacked by the undead. There is a mark in your body that does not fade! This is not just some spell or illusion! The fact that you have been affected by my holiness proves that you have given your hand to these vile scums! I would kill you three if not for Mezal's suggestion!" Drake roared.

"What do we do with them?" Ordeus asked Mezal.

"For now, we bind and imprison them. I believe every kingdom wants to interrogate them. Just don't kill these fools. But you all can all do as you please to gather whatever information you can from them." Mezal laughed.

Several champions glared at the captured three. Others were licking their lips. These were their enemies, and they now had a chance to torture them!

The three realized the terrifying gazes of the rest and shivered.

"Champion Drake Vestitude. I hope that you can watch over them. Only you have the power to torture them and prevent them from escaping."

"It will be my honor! Let us consider Mezal's deeds! He has warned all of us of the approaching orc threat. He has dissolved the conflict that would have created political turmoils not only here but in the human kingdom. He has also revealed the existence of the Eldrich! But most importantly, Mezal also revealed the truth of the traitors within the human race that would have been our undoing! I declare that because of all these deeds, the sins of the Olander clan are wiped clean." Drake declared.

"I agree."

"As do I."

Ordeus and Faye were the first to answer. The rest said the same thing, and even some gave Mezal hated looks but also agreed with the assessment of his great contribution.

As all these things were happening, the secret message that Mezal sent to Branze was now written in the notebook of Dyne.

Aron and Branze could not believe what they had just heard.

"Is that real? I can't believe it!" Aron was shocked.

"To think it would also be him! It's good that father was able to reveal it. Now we know who to point our swords at. The Steele family cannot continue if he exists." Branze assessed.

In Airom Logat, Kyros was now running alongside his mother. He opened the notebook that now had Branze's reports.

"Your grandfather has confirmed the traitors. Three are captured. One is left alone. Drake Vestitude is confirmed to be in league with the Eldrich." Kyros read.

"What?!" Diana was shocked.

"Makes sense..." Kyros reflected.