Ascension of the Nephilim

The Commander with a similar dragonic form that Martha revealed was charging towards the Temple. Seven Champions flew alongside him and were wielding powerful force and magic.

And to counter this threat, Kyros ordered everyone to strike a dangerous pose.

"Am I doing this right?" Aron asked.

"Hold that position. The goal is to make the Commander and Champion attack us. Continue to gather energy as if you are about to make a wild, massive attack!"

"Alright!"

While the main Steele Family and the Emberdon Champions made their dominating poses on top of a flying carpet or right above the sky, the rest of the forces all went to their positions.

Hunter and Avary stood at the right side, blocking the path with several knights and archers at the back row. Two Light Golems stood near them at the front.

Grugnyr, Gregory, and Scarlet positioned themselves on the left path with roughly the same knights, archers, and Light Golems.

Hunter and Avary used the Basic Elemental Core and summoned a Lightning Golem and a Fire Golem from the ground. The golem looked like the Soil Golems but had fire and lightning energy around them each.

Gojirrah and Reptilia stood on the center of the main pathway that led to the Temple. Knights stood at the back, and Mardock was also among the group. 

The archers stood on top of the wall, and there were archers positioned at the bottom of the wall.

"Emberdons, get ready to shoot magics when they reach a range that you are confident they cannot evade! Aunt Martha, shoot some arrows as well! Archers, prepare to release your arrows! Knights, to your positions!" Kyros ordered.

The Emberdon champions and Martha began to fire their attacks.

Arrows and magical elements shot out, and the Champions began to evade. Any attack directed at the Commander was easily blocked, and he didn't even bother evading.

The armies moved with incredible speed as the seeping darkness raced forward. Soon, large figures of Giants, ogres, and various beasts with large frames became visible.

The Steele knights and servants on top of the wall or who guarded the path held their breath as the creatures approached.

"Relax knights. We may not have the wall, but we can throw our enemies on the abyss to our right. And remember, our lords are here!" Hunter called out.

"Do not cower! These creatures are nothing to our lords! You have seen their power!" Gregory called out on the other side.

"And we have the Temple! Those wounded can retreat there as planned. We now have walls and a fortress! We are at an advantage!" Scarlet added.

As each party gave its encouraging speech to those nearby, the mages were worried. How can arrows damage the darkness?

"How can arrows work against these creatures? Should I cast a spell to add flames on the tips?" Triona asked.

"No need. Trust me. They'll work. Just keep on harassing them and prepare for your attacks." Kyros smiled and set the Temple's Arrow Supply Protocol.

Suddenly, the arrows began to glow a strange light.

"Arrows supply will aid our archers. And as for the knights, the Holy Beam that emits light is easily absorbed by your swords. You guys have to be careful as these creatures have a little physical form and cannot be attacked by punches and kicks! Everyone must get used to how to fight against this dark army!"

The knights and archers nodded. They knew that the enemies might even use their shadowy forms to slip through each other, jump on each other and sacrifice each other.

"Fire!" Kyros gave the order, and the archers released their arrows.

The power of the Temple was activated. As the archers on the wall launched a volley of arrows, the Temple glowed a bright light, and the arrows that were launched had the power of holy light.

The arrows flew with incredible speed as the power of light covered it and attacked.

Martha suddenly performed a powerful strafe, and the arrows she sent out suddenly were covered in great holy energy.

The attacks that the Champions sent out were also fueled with Holy energy mixed in their element.

"ARG!" A Champion blocked one of the lightning bolts but was forced back from the holy energy.

"Evade!" The other champions cried as they evaded. The volley of arrows shot by the Steele servants looked dangerous as it created bright lights that covered the sky.

The Commander frowned and evaded the attacks as he disdained the light energy. He flew higher, and as the Champions saw that a volley of arrows was approaching them, they flew higher with the Commander.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The light arrows landed on the creeping darkness, and the two opposing elements clashed, creating explosions. The creeping darkness looked as if it quivered in pain, and it stopped moving forward. Many of the shadows were struck and cried out in pain. Only the Captain levels were able to evade or block the arrows.

"Oh? So they have the means to defend themselves. But such energy won't last." The Commander observed as he flew higher.

"It seems those Champions are awaiting us." A Champion pointed out.

The Commander saw the domineering poses and how massive force energy was gathered around Mezal, Aron, Kyros, Martha, and the other Champions.

"Indeed." The Commander stopped and waited. The appearance of arrows that could attack them made the Commander worry, so he waited for the forces to push ahead.

The Steele family and the Emberdon Champions remained to do a formidable pose and prepared their attacks.

Despite the attacks, the gap was still quickly crossed even when the light arrows destroyed the creeping darkness. As more arrows were launched, the form of the Dragon Commander was now clearly shown. It had a larger body frame, and its wings were just as large.

"What dragon is that?" Mezal asked.

"A Drake. They are nearly as strong as Wyrms but not as fast as Wyverns. They have large body frames with great wings. Unlike the Wyrm, these dragons can fly despite wielding immense power and strength. And that form that he has is even more powerful than Master Martha! That dragon has awakened more of its bloodline!" Puff's expression grew sour.

"So basically, a Commander with a Crown potential," Kyros explained.

"How strong is that?" Mezal asked.

"Grandfather should have a Strength and Vitality stat of around 200. At your current level, you are almost at the Cardinal level based on your base stat alone. With his dragonic bloodline, and assuming he's at level 40, his current stats should be around 310. And that's assuming he is the lowest among Crown Potential. He could easily reach 400 if he's a Mid-ranking Crown Potential."

"What...!" Demerus shivered.

"I think we have to assume that we will find more of these guys inside. We have to grow stronger and raise our levels, which means killing those and absorbing their energy. Get ready. Draw the Champions attention." Kyros smiled.

"What? You? How do you plan to attack that?!"

"You'll see." Kyros smiled, and he then flew forward and brought out his sword. Bright energy appeared on the sword, and Kyros flew with great speed.

"[Haste]!" Kyros activated as he rushed fast.

"Oh? Is he rushing in? How reckless!" The Commander sneered, and his figure suddenly vanished.

A sonic boom erupted as the Commander's form dove down to fight.

The speed shocked everyone, and even Mezal and Aron frowned.

The Commander moved to the side and flew with great speed.

"You underestimated my speed!" The Commander laughed.

He punched out at Kyros but suddenly, the figure of Kyros turned to darkness.

"Not really!" Kyros laughed as he appeared behind the Commander.

Ever since his arrival, Kyros's greatest strength was always his speed. His stats have been over 300 since the start, but his physical body was too weak to bear it. Even when he fought against the Shade the first time, it was this speed that allowed him to move in and out of the army of darkness.

"[Force Slash]!" The power of Force Wielder, which was the strongest discipline in harnessing force energy that even the Highlands desired appeared on its full power. Initially, only Crowns could create this form of attack, but Kyros had the Codes of Sword from Hyperion Steele himself! What he lacked in power, he made up in the sharpness.

SLASH!

The slash struck the Commander's thick arms, and the scales defended. Nevertheless, a small wound was made that surprised the Commander.

The figure of the Commander vanished and moved in extreme speed, but Kyros moved as well.

"Impossible! You're not even a Captain!" The Commander raged.

The two began to fight, and Kyros was showing a speed that overpowered the Commander!

"Amazing! This is Lord Kyros's true speed!" Reptilia was amazed. With such speed, he could have challenged the Lizard Commander Komodo Dragon!

"Kyros's speed was always his main power. But... Was he really this fast? His perception should already be at Commander level! But his body was just too weak to bear that speed!" Aron analyzed.

The Blood Calamity watched in amazement as Kyros fought against the champion.

"Was he really this fast? My illusions and my power must have been taxing him, hindering him from doing this speed! But now he is so... amazing." It was then that the Blood Calamity was horrified at her thoughts.

Mechiel watched in amazement and was dreamily looking at the blurring figures.

The dragon Commander fought and was growing angrier and angrier.

"How can a whelp challenge me?!"

"Welp. I guess you're just too slow!" Kyros chuckled.