Meera was not happy with how this turned out. She knew little about Hilnoa's skills or fighting style. She didn't even know if the old crone would try to fight alongside Meera or take on her possessed nephew alone.

"Is there anything I should know about this Erenyx before she starts ripping into us?" Meera quickly asked Hilnoa.

But it was Brison who answered. "She called herself the Goddess of Shadow and Steel. She created the very metal with which this whole fort has been created."

"I am a god, little man," Erenyx corrected. "You all would do well to remember that. I may have lost much of my power for having to rely on this pathetic human, but I. Am. A. God." She punctuated each word with a jab of a finger towards Brison.

Erenyx continued. "The so-called gods underestimated me and lost many of their own under my blades. Numheia would never have taken down my husband if I had been present that day on the battlefield. That bitch Virelia had ripped my soul out and entrapped me in that cave, but thanks to the greed and lust for power of humans, I am free."

Brison clenched his jaw but kept his mouth shut, even though it looked like there were many choice words he wanted to use to give a fitting reply.

"A thing we will correct presently," Doromar said. "Once we break the curse on our king's forest, we will enshroud the world in a second eclipse."

Meera had a strong feeling that the king they were talking about was Rothedon. After all, they had called themselves Cosmarians. If this king's lackeys were this strong, how strong was the king himself?

The worst part was that Neel was looking for the Reflectora to use on this king when the great prophecy was about Neel defeating Aetheron. This thing was getting more complicated by the minute, but she couldn't think about that right now. She had to figure out how to defeat the self-proclaimed goddess.

"You both were killed once." Melas cracked his fists. "You can be killed again."

"Aye," Tekton said. "We'll finish what the gods started."

Doromar laughed. "Ah, you Wardens, always so cocky, just like your bitch goddess."

That struck a nerve with the Wardens. They moved as one for the Undead Cosmarian. It was unreal, the way Doromar moved. From the outlook, it looked like a thin, frail woman moving like she had no right to. But that was not all. Meera saw why he wanted to take over her body so badly.

Doromar's weapons of red mist parried or blocked each Warden's blows. He cackled maniacally as he moved through the motions, rendering all the Wardens' attacks ineffective. Even Meera was stumped. She had faced them all and had a hard time, barely hanging on. But he was making them look like children.

Erenyx, too, watched with amusement as the Wardens attacked her husband. Meera saw her chance and launched two level 2 chakrams at the same time.

Erenyx raised a wall of Shadowsteel from the floor without even looking her way. Meera's eyes widened in shock, but she wasn't the only one who was shocked. Meera's chakrams nearly cut through her Shadowsteel wall.

Erenyx turned her attention to Meera's chakram, which was wedged in her protective wall. "I see… Midiea's chosen, huh? Who would have thought that one of the first things I do after regaining my freedom would be to kill a Hero of the gods?"

"Um, sorry, but I'm no Hero," Meera said.

"But you are Midiea's chosen, and that is enough for me." She licked her scaly lips.

"Uh, a quick question," Meera said. "Were you always scaly, or did that happen later?"

Erenyx did not like that at all. She yelled, extended her hand, and shot Meera with Shadowsteel spikes.

Meera raised a Mirror Tower Shield to block it, but she didn't need to, as a door of darkness swallowed the spikes, and another door formed on Erenyx's right side that shot the spikes back at her. The Cosmarian waved a dismissive hand. The spikes diverted and embedded themselves in the wall.

"Meera," Hilnoa said. "You take it head-on, and I will provide support."

"Thanks for the assist," Meera said.

"I do not need your thanks," Hilnoa said. "Only your help in saving my nephew. Just go for the armor, not for Narikas."

"And if we can't save him without killing her?" Meera asked, dreading to hear her answer.

"You cannot save anyone, not even yourselves," Erenyx said.

A spike erupted from the ground and came for Meera's back. She jumped aside while keeping her eyes on Erenyx. Using Mirror Wing, she pulled her two level 2 chakrams out of the wall and raced toward the evil armor.

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Two shadowy hands shot out from the Shadowsteel armor and tried to slap her chakrams away, but the evil spirit thought too highly of herself. She got a rude reminder that she was not all-powerful as her chakram cut through her shadows and came for her. Ultimately, she had to form two blades of Shadowsteel to deflect the chakrams.

Meera smirked and immediately brought her chakram back while she shot a Mirror Shard Barrage at the armor. Erenyx raised a Shadowsteel wall from the ground and stopped her beam. Meera took this opportunity to litter the room with mirrors using her armor.

She moved to the side, quickly swapped Heaven's Wrath for Petrifying Surge in her skills section, and shot it at Erenyx. She raised another wall from the floor, and her beam covered the dark metal wall in scarlet bloodstone.

Meera gritted her teeth. It was like she was fighting with Pallas again, but this creature could use any part of the room as its weapon or for defense.

"Meera, now!" Hilnoa shouted.

Shadows swallowed the walls around the Cosmarian. The same shadows snaked towards the possessed Warlord, up its body, and held it in place.

Meera took off another level 2 chakram, activated Shadow Coating, and hurled it at the armor's chest.

Erenyx laughed and flicked a finger. Meera's chakram was flung aside as if it had fit an invisible barrier. "Shadows are my domain, you foolish women. They will not obey you."

She grunted, and Hilnoa's shadows shattered like glass. Even Doromar laughed at his wife's display of power. Erenyx extended a hand towards Narikas's throne, and two swords—one of steel and the other of shadow—melted out of the throne's armrests and flew into her grip.

"Now, I'll show you the real power of Shadowsteel," she hissed.

Erenyx disappeared and appeared before Meera, ready to part her head from her shoulders. Meera teleported away to safety and recalled her chakrams. But before they could reach her, Erenyx did. Meera Stepped away again, missing her steel blade by an inch.

When she appeared next, Erenyx was almost on her within a breath. As Erenyx appeared, the whole floor was covered in darkness, covering all of Meera's mirrors, effectively cutting off her jump points.

Meera tried to duck, but she was too slow. The shadow blade was coming too fast. Before it could slash Meera's neck, Dirik appeared out of the ground and blocked the Cosmarian's blade with his Shadowsteel blade.

"Oh, "Erenyx raised an eyebrow. "Ah, you must be a Shade."

"A pale imitator," Doromar said. The necromancer and mistweaver was fighting all five Wardens and not even breaking a sweat. Even at this moment, he was dodging one of Zona's arrows as if they were nothing but a nuisance.

"Right, you are, my love," Erenyx stated. Coming from Narikas's mouth, it just sounded wrong. She turned to Dirik. "Let me tell you something, little Shade. All this Shade business was my idea. I put the idea in Damentes' head to make more copies of me. People who could work covertly to help Azeria. Of course, all of it was a lie. All just a game to pass the time and sow the seeds for my arrival. After all, this is a place of power...my power."

Meera and several others in the room frowned. Brison had turned to her. But there was one who cared for none of this but his own survival. Rokibor had edged his way to the door while the Cosmarians were busy, and so far, it had worked.

"What do you mean?" Brison barked.

Erenyx smiled. "Why tell you when I can show you, puppet of Numheia?"

She extended her arm outwards, and the whole room began to wobble and shake. Meera tried to balance herself but, in the end, had to take to the air. Everyone else, including the Wardens, had to reach for a wall or a column to steady themselves. Pallas formed a shield to save himself from falling. Hilnoa couldn't get to the column she was reaching for and fell to the shaky floor. Dirik had dropped into the shadowy floor. The king shrieked and ran out of the room without care. The only other person who was okay was Doromar, who must've been using Nimbus to stay in the air, like Meera.

Erenyx shoved her swords into the ground, smirking. Shadowsteel blades erupted out of the ground around her and traveled outward. Meera dove for Hilnoa and lifted her into the air, saving her from being impaled by mere seconds. Pallas saved the wardens by forming a shield underneath them.

"Oh, how crafty," Doromar said. He slashed his arm in an arc, and daggers made of red mists came for them all.

Pallas protected everyone, even Meera and Hilnoa. Then, Erenyx shot them with massive spikes from the ceiling, followed by Shadowsteel arrows. Hilnoa swallowed them up in these doors of darkness, but that was all she could do before another volley of mist daggers from Doromar. But these passed through Pallas's shields.

Several people cried out. Meera was sure she knew what this technique was. She had even stolen it from one of the Mistblades but didn't acquire it. She couldn't remember its name. More swords and spears erupted from the floor, crashing against shields and making Meera rise even higher. As she did, swords shot out of the ceiling. Hilnoa saved them once again by erecting another shadow door that swallowed the swords.

"This is getting annoying," Meera said as she dodged another volley from the necromancer. "We need to separate the two of them."

Melas must've heard her because he said, "On it."

He jumped from his shield and dashed so fast that he was a blur. Shadowsteel swords shot out of the floor, trying to stop him, but he didn't. He ripped his legs asunder, but he made it to Doromar, where for the first time, Meera noted a look of fear on the Mistweaver's face.

Melas had his fist ready, and he pounced on Doromar and punched him so hard that it created a small shockwave. The necromancer was sent flying out the window.

"No!" cried Erenyx.

Melas crashed to his bloody knees, heaving and panting. Brison quickly scribbled something in his book, and a translucent bubble engulfed Melas's bleeding form. "He'll be fine. Should be in fighting shape in half an hour best."

If we last that long, Meera wondered.

"Wardens, let's finish what we started," Lexa cried. "Meera, just hold out for a little bit. We'll be back soon."

They all raced for the window, only for it to shut before them.

Erenyx heaved heavy breaths. "You all will pay—AHH!"

Dirik had jumped out of his shadows and left a long scratch on the armor. He extended a hand towards the window, and it opened. "Go! We'll take care of this one."

The Wardens left with only Brison lingering for a moment before he, too, left with his fellow Wardens, taking Melas with him. Erenyx was not pleased. Meera was not concerned with that. Dirik's attack confirmed one thing—hurting the armor hurt the Cosmarian.

Meera flew down to the darkened floor, set Hilnoa down, and recalled her chakrams. “Let’s get you free, Narikas.”