Ascension of the Nephilim

Deep in the far edges of the dome, a massive hole was opened in the Life, and Death Containing Field... 

The Necromancer Cardinal, Heralcus, led a mass exodus of his armies as the Shade Lord created a colossal bridge leading from the dome into that land.

The movement of the army was surprisingly fast despite their numbers. 

"Draw in every bit of darkness that you can. Since we will be hiding in Middle, we should take all the darkness least they feast on it." Heralcus ordered.

The Shade Lord Darako nodded, and a massive surge of darkness began to enter the rift that was opened. However, the light in the flat earth planet called Middle grew brighter.

The light around the

The Commanders moved in in bitterness as they knew they had been defeated. They lost several Commanders and nearly died and were now forced to hide after wasting hours on the world.

The power to alter the Life and Death Containing Field was beyond the power of any Cardinal. Not even Cherubims could do this! And yet, Destiny had provided this place.

The hole was like a tunnel, and it led to a floating piece of earth with a massive fortress stood appeared on the end of the dark road that the Shade Lord made.

"You were defeated?" A deep, hoarse voice called out.

The fortress had a massive tower in the center, and a large head appeared at the top.

"The Nephilim released a massive power that surpassed my ability to defend. I had to use the Soul Commander artifact granted to me, but it broke through it and the Dark Dome of Darako."

"Such an attack exists? How strong was the Nephilim? Was he a Cardinal too?"

"No. The Nephilim himself was not even a Captain! And yet he had incredible speed that not even I can compare to!"

"What?! Impossible! He has not even attained a job and is already showing a Crown's potential?"

"Not just a Crown. He surpassed my own speed! He should have a potential that is a High Crown or a Victor's Crown as he would need over 400 Dexterity points to evade my attacks easily!"

"I see... So you have no choice but to retreat and resurrect the Commanders that died."

"Yes. He revealed strange powers that could only be legacies of the Gods and Fallen that allied with Fate. We have to make haste and attack them before they get stronger! Pergos, do you know of a Fallen or God that could instill anger? His words made me mad, and I lost control!"

"Oh? So that's the Fallen. His strength might be explained through it. You must have been affected by the Words of Tyrannos!"

"Tyrannos? The First Undivine?! That explains it! That explained the rage I felt and the disgusting strength of that Nephilim! I underestimated him. I won't. Pergos. I need your help! This Nephilim cannot be allowed to grow stronger. That energy that Lord Destiny gave you. What else can you do with it?"

"The limits of Lord Destiny allow me to move in this place. I cannot help you outside."

"Then help me here. I need to resurrect the Commanders and make them reach their full power. Anything less than that, and I will lose."

"Not possible. My energy is reserved to keep this place protected.

Suddenly, the entire space around them trembled.

Pergos began to glow.

"Pergos?!" Heralcus gave a hopeful shout.

The light dimmed, and Pergos smiled.

"The Words of Tyrannos has echoed out to his realm. Various Gods and Fallen have felt it. So Lord Destiny has granted me another set of energy that he can send at this point in time. And... he is sending it all!"

Heralcus was amazed at the amount that Destiny sent.

"You may choose to resurrect those Commanders and even bestow the energy to the departed Champions to create more Commanders. You have to win this. If you lose, we will lose this place!"

"I thank Lord Destiny for his mercy despite my incompetence. But Pergos, I have another request! I also need you to find a way to cross the rift and reach the place where the Nephilim hides his fortress."

"You want to cross this realm and attack the Nephilim's Temple in the Crossroads?"

"Yes. Can you create that portal?"

"It is possible, but it will cost a lot of energy to create. You will have lesser Commanders to create if I do so."

"It's alright. They will guard the entrance of that portal. If you can create an opening above the space of the Temple, I can kill them without wasting a single soldier! And all the energy that Lord Destiny sent here will be used to create a foothold for the War of the Middle."

"Alright. But no failures, Heralcus. Expect the Nephilim to have a powerful shield that is as strong as his attack! You have to win. Otherwise, we will be placed at a disadvantage. You know that I am just a conduit of energy, but anything sent from Lord Destiny will come at a price and allow Fate to work as well."

"I will win this! That Nephilim cannot be allowed to grow stronger! Lord Destiny used such great power to warn me and made me use the Soul Commander as proof of that. I plan to commune with the power of Soul Commander and awaken my Corruption! The Corruption of my Commanders must also take form!"

"Then I shall follow your plans. Prepare your resurrection ritual after you resurrect them and create more Commanders. I will need another full day to open the portal and create the path!" 

As the forces of Destiny prepared their next attack, Kyros had been discussing their progress.

"So they think we are back in that place beyond the portal?" Aron confirmed.

"Right. That's why I went to the trouble of faking my teleportation to that place. Of course, they won't dare enter it. They know we have the power to devour and won't waste sending scouts in. I left my shadow familiars to observe the entrance and inform me if there were any who entered. But up to now, none of them have entered the portal. Their armies have vanished."

"This means that they will prepare to attack the portal again. But this time, with an army more formidable. I'm guessing they would reshape their armies so that nothing below Captain level will attack." Faye guessed.

"No. That would be reckless. They have seen our powers. If they march through the portal, they might be met by that same devastating attack. I'm sure that they will avoid that."

"Then this is even better! They will try to create a portal to invade the Temple without using that portal!" Mezal laughed.

"Exactly!" Kyros laughed.

"What? But that was a different world! The magical powers to create another portal... I can't imagine. It's something that no Cultivator could do!"

"That's the point. Destiny will help them! But it's a wasted effort!"

"Yes. I decided to do thin when I awakened another power of a Fallen. I think Destiny probably knew about this Fallen power even before I realized what it was. When he saw how we were taunting the Necromancer and his commander, he gave the order to have everyone hide in that dome."

"So that's why they did that! I was wondering what was going on and why they went to such extreme."

"The Fallen Tyrannos. The birth of anger, resentment, and murder. Because of him, Separation and the Severance of Creation reached a point where unity is impossible. And so we call him the First Undivine. Many Fallens followed in his footsteps. Luckily, we have him on our side." The voice of Calaminus rang out around the Temple."

"Fate was prodding me in that direction, and now I bought us more time, and Destiny will make a wasted effort to attack. We won, but frankly, I'm a bit disappointed. There only has been so much that we did on our own without Fate's prodding. I guess that's what Fate Challenger is helping us achieve. To act always outside of Fate to outsmart Destiny."

"You're disappointed? Lord Kyros... We defeated several Commanders and a Cardinal in the first clash without losing anyone!" Martha frowned.

"I feel that it is not enough. You all have to be strong enough to fight on your own. And right now, we see progress in our fights. Mom, Dad... Good job doing the impossible and training everyone to fight. Uncle, you fought a Commander alone and survived long enough. Emberdons, Grandfather. You faced horrors far beyond your capacity and nearly lost your life for it."

"Technically, we are already dead. But this power is what we need to survive right now." Demerus answered with a laugh.

"The fight that follows will be a good opportunity for us to train. Everyone! You will face a Commander again. But this time, you should win! That includes you, aunt Martha."

"Good. I want to kill that stupid dragon."

"I want to fight that Vampire again." Aron smiled, and he was unconsciously holding on to his sword tightly.

"Grandfather, can you face the Shaman alone?"

"With pleasure." Mezal smiled.

"The three Lich Emberdons will face the Crab Commander. Faye, Gojirrah, and Reptilia. You will face a Grendelor Commander. The rest of the Coven and Stellya will take care of the Skeleton Commander. Everyone else, you will fight that Shade Lord. The bulk of their armies will probably come from him. Those will be your corresponding mission. Father, Grandfather. Can you make the arrangements and oversee their training?"

"Of course." Mezal nodded.

"Go." Kyros commanded, and the group immediately moved out.

Kyros raised his hands, and the books that weren't being read from the Library of the Nephilim flew towards him.

"Noit'sts time to put my intelligence to good use," Kyros smirked as the books approached him.