The Luminian order or the order of light as it was known to those outside of the continent of Lumia was a theological state. Born by his most excellency, pontiff Matthew Lumia himself, it was a path given by the true deity of light, Rieus bright born himself. Originally the path had started out the same way as any other path, with the inherent will to exceed in this new reality that was the archailect, however the just and pious way of the path drew members in first in their hundreds and then in their thousands.

Soon enough the path had grown into an order of holy members who strived for the betterment of humanity and the path of righteousness. It was then that the real originator of the path had manifested as it was written in the holy book of light, the primordial of light Rieus had manifested to Matthew, informing him of the true dark nature of the archailect and revealing to him the true path of salvation.

The most holy pontiff had been distraught and since then isolated himself in the citadel of light, the castle in the heart of their domain known as beacon. There they strived to emulate the pontiff who had locked himself away in holy meditation, tutored by the divine master sent to them by Rieus himself, the holy one Akriel. Soon enough a hierarchical structure bestowed upon them by the holy Akriel had sprung forth on the continent of Lumia to guide the faithful towards enlightenment.

Archbishop Gosto snorted at the dogma and propaganda spread by the Luminian order through its masses and the world in general. He had been a fervent worshipper of the light of Lumia, the veneration of the aspect of what the path entailed. Of course, as a simple bronze, there was no way he could had understood the aspect of the path of Lumia itself, but what little he knew made it clear to the archbishop that they weren’t dealing with benevolent forces. That didn’t stop Gosto though, he had always been an ambitious man and with the advent of the archailect, he had seen his religious justification in the path of the order.

Joining as a simple priest, he had fought his way through initiate to advocate at blitzing speed, his one mindedness belief in the path of Lumia invigorating him and blessing him with boons to modify his class into that of a mage-priest, a hybrid class that gave him all of the smiting and healing abilities of an avenging angel. Soon enough the calamity had arrived and Gosto had viewed it as a path to show the world the power of the order, singlehandedly he had fought his way through the swarm monsters, holding back hordes of monsters as they threatened to overcome the faithful advocates that fought on with intent, mana and projectiles.

It was then that the being that would later be known as Akriel had manifested, at least to him, bestowing upon him the boon of the angel, giving him the twin battle axes alpha and omega. With these two divine weapons, he smote the enemies, carving his ascension to iron, and even after he finally attained the power of the heretic known as the titan blade, he still wasn’t satisfied. He wanted power that dwarfed the great heretic as he was now labeled in the theocracy, so he had dedicated his entire existence to delving.

Going through bronze rank dungeons without a care in the world for his fragile existence, he had left a trail of ashes and burning creature parts in his one-man crusade, carving the path of righteousness in the name of his path and the holy one Akriel. It wasn’t only till he ascended to bronze after an entire month of hopping dungeons left and right till his iron ranked body struggled under the weight and stress of the aggressive delving he had been putting himself through and attaining the rank of bronze did he finally realize the true nature of what he had been worshipping.

He, like the only two other ascenders who had made it to bronze after the second hand of the pontiff Matthew himself, the lady who would soon go on to be known as cardinal Elita of the fate were called to the presence of the holy one. There, the holy one who for some reason best known to him had decreed that he couldn’t reveal his nature till the day of the reckoning, had bestowed upon them the final blessing. The blessing of fusing their willpower and authority into a single form, the authority of a divine being known as ‘Smite’, an even higher form of authority the order had been secretly trying to teach its iron.

There Gosto along with his fellow archbishops who were for all purposes generals of the order, Otilia and Ponzio, were given this new authority and sacred weapons. Gosto had already been given the axes, his signature weapons that would later go on to become the insignia of his little order within the Luminian theocracy. The holy order of alpha and omega had soon enough molded themselves into a group known to take on the worst of the worst assignments. It was made up of ascenders who lived for battle, who loved the thrill of the carnage and massacre that took place within and outside of the dungeon areas.

The archbishop in charge of protecting the Beacon of light itself, it had puzzled him when the cardinal had requested one of his followers for an espionage mission into the domain of the great heretic that was rumored to had returned a master. The blasphemy aside, for the holy one had taught them that no mortal may rise to the rank of master without the blessings of the great Rieus himself, the best they could aim for was the rank of diamond paladin, the most holy of holy knights of the primordial of light himself.

The holy order of the mirage blades, led by archbishop Otilia herself were the espionage and assassination arm of the order, made up of one of the most fanatical members of the order who were ready to dedicate their lives even in death to the will of Rieus and his holy one Akriel. They would have verified the claims of the heretic without so much as a blip of them showing on the map of the clan titan blade.

Of course, he knew they weren’t as good as the hands of Anansi, the ghosts of the clan that most denied their existence as rumors, but the upper echelons of the order knew well enough that they existed and they were as deadly as they were quiet. Still, where the hands prided themselves on their skills and ingeniousness, the mirages were the most dedicated at their job and would go through any lengths to complete whatever missions handed down to them from the citadel of light.

He knew that the path had strayed from the ordained path set forth by pontiff Matthew, but the pontiff himself was indisposed at this point and was nothing more but a figure to channel the prayers of the thousands of faithful that called Lumia home. The pontiff wasn’t dead, but when Gosto had seen the state the pontiff was, he knew he would better slit his throat than face a fate such as that. Crushing the thought of the condition he had glanced of the pontiff when he had been given the chance, he stepped closer to the golden doors that led to the main halls of the citadel of light.

His agent, a new recruit who had been stupid enough to talk to the heretic in a condescending manner had been broken like a doll, however, not without confirming the fact that the titan blade was indeed a master. He had delivered the dire news to the cardinal who had frowned and nodded, informing him the holy one would require his presence soon enough. Gosto assumed on a normal day he would had been happy at such news, but now he dreaded meeting this alien being that pulsed with overwhelming brutish power akin to a deity he might as well have been.

The guards in golden armor who stood at the doors banged their right hand to their chest in a salute as they stood straighter, opening the doors for him enter. The insides were filled with bright white and gold designs, even as the doors swung open, the marble white columns that adorned the walkway up to the throne of the pontiff itself were a work of art, carved by artists given inspiration by the light of the holy one himself, they spoke about the benevolent nature of Akriel. Depictions of him coming down from the heavens above to enlighten the populace and bestow sainthood on the pontiff himself as a reward of all his hard work.

Gosto however could careless, he was dedicated to the path itself, to the idea of ceaseless ascending and dedicating himself to the path of battle. Eyes straightforward, he marched briskly to the base of the throne where two other figures, the archbishops of the order stood. Gosto was a tall man with the body of a typical warrior, more along the line of a bloodthirsty barbarian. Ripped muscles and callous hands that not even the astonishing healing abilities of bronze rank could heal, a tall form and eyes that drove fear into the hearts and minds of the heretic, he was the wrath of righteousness given form.

Archbishop Otilia was a tall slim woman with dark skin, shaven head and intricate tattoos adorning a side of her face. She favored wearing the armless type of the robes, something those who were a part of the holy order of mirage blades followed as well, fanatical silence and adoration in her eyes, she was as silent as she was deadly. Her story was filled with holes as only one that led an espionage group could have, but the dedication and bloodthirstiness to end the lives of those who went against the Luminian theocracy were never brought into question. Her body bore the scars of the daily ritual of purification she and by her decree, the rest of her order followed.

He nodded at her and glanced at the next archbishop, Ponzio of the blistering guns, the flamboyant but deadly marksman who wielded two gold guns that were forged in pure intent and metal blessed by the holy one himself. The weapons screamed precision and accuracy with the authority of Smite echoing from it, his holy order of the blistering guns were the true marksmen of the order, whose use had become so valued in bringing down dungeons that broke too early, buying time for the order of alpha and omega to arrive on the scene.

A tall man with golden hair and an infuriating smile on his face with dazzling white teeth, Gosto wasn’t fooled by the look. He knew what the archbishop got up to in his spare time, for while Gosto had his love of battle and Otilia her sadistic self-inflicting torture, Ponzio was a being of the flesh. Engaging in sordid orgies and mind baffling acts of depravity that went on behind this city of the blistering guns, he was a most vile being, but since he was chosen by the most holy one, Gosto could care less about what he got up to during his spare time.

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Stopping at the same position of the other archbishops, they all took a knee, head bowed and spoke as one,

“Hail the holy one of Rieus, hail Akriel and his chosen avatar Elita, hail the holy pontiff, voice of Rieus and savior of Gaia, we welcome your presence, the great father Rieus, we welcome your presence, the great guardian Akriel, we welcome your presence the great watcher, Elita” they finished,

A large rune blazed to life in front of them as two humanoid shapes floated out of it like as if through a pathway. A large humanoid being of pure gold skin and human features, except his eyes that blazed red like embers of a burning wood. Dressed in pure gold and wielding a large golden blade, the beings power suffused the room, driving the archbishops fully to their knees, head bowed. Gosto gritted his teeth and marveled at the pure power that poured out from the being, this was what he one day hoped to attain, true power.

A groan that sounded more like moans echoed from his side and Gosto snarled with disgust, archbishop Otilia writhed in the throes of a powerful orgasm, eyes rolled up her head and body shuddering in delight as the power that wracked them all, driving them down and stripping them of all their powers. Only a depraved lunatic and fanatic like Otilia would derive pleasure from a situation like this and not from the hot warm blood of heretical beings both human and monsters being spilled like a normal person.

Archbishop Ponzio just stayed rigid, his frame frozen as he weathered the power, Gosto approved, at least he wasn’t a coward, none of them were. The power subsided and Gosto drew himself to his full height, glancing at the female form that sat on the throne, the throne of the pontiff himself. Gosto remembered a time when this palace was a place of theological debate, where scholars funded by the pontiff would argue about the new tenets of the order, trying to build a truly wonderous thing.

Now it was a silent, cold and revered place devoid of the warmth of the path itself, instead it focused on the imminent righteous wrath of the path it personified, the path of the primordial Rieus bright born. Gosto stood straight and stared at the cardinal, her golden irises gleaming as the aura of the holy one oozed out of her, she held the power of a peak bronze ranker, her ascension steadily being progressed by the holy one himself.

Akriel tapped his blade on the rune as it shattered, eyes surveying them,

“I’m sure by now the news of the return of the great heretic known as the titan blade has spread?” he asked,

They nodded,

“Yes your holiness” Otilia rasped,

“The great heretic has somehow ascended to an imitation of your rank, I ask that we wipe out this stain on Rieus once and for all” she said,

Akriel glanced at her and turned to Ponzio, the archbishop bowed briefly,

“I’m not sure what the archbishop Otilia proposes is the right course of action” he started as Otilia glared at him in anger, no doubt thinking he hoped to undermine her before the holy one,

“While I have no qualms of eradicating the entirety of Asa, we simply do not have the manpower or the resources to do so, not to talk of the fact that Asa is teeming with six bronze rankers, a gold ranker from the green spear sect and silvers from the same sect” he argued,

“The delving guild knows well enough not to interfere in the planetary disputes, hence the golds and silvers are out of the battle” Akriel said,

“Which leaves the clan itself and the heretic” Gosto said,

“indeed” Elita said, speaking for the first time,

Akriel turned to the cardinal, his gaze carrying the weight of power that didn’t shake Elita in the least. The red-haired woman had been in the presence of the holy one for far too long, therefore studying every reaction he had, if she had offended him then she’d had sealed her mouth shut. However, she continued, seeing his silence as a sign of approval,

“With the heretic wary of our moves ever since that little incident, I believe the best course for action is to play it cool, draw his curiosity to us and trap him in this place” she said,

“My actions on this plane of reality are limited, by divine mandate, I cannot act more than three times and with limited jurisdiction. The great Rieus, glory to his name” Akriel said as they all whispered ‘glory’

“Has decreed that you all would make your way through this path of righteousness without the help of an exalted being such as I” he finished,

Gosto glanced at Otilia who vibrated in anger, no doubt wishing the holy one let her loose on the continent of Asa to destroy and pillage in his name. He snorted silently, assuming she made it past the spiders, the six-sided mages’ runic defense that took the sacrifice of over fisty iron rankers to tunnel through and the variety of construct guardians of bronze and iron rank stationed all across the continent, she would face the real issue.

Annika storm empress, lady of titans’ storm and rumored queen of the heretic himself was literally a force of nature. Ever since her ascension to expert, she had carved her way through any who would dare harm the clan, leaving their domains as nothing more than a place ravaged by hurricane and tsunami with the charred and burning spots of lightning that danced around, coupled with the fact that she left no survivors. Her domain of perpetual storms was a harsh place to exist and only the most strong-willed of ascenders ever joined the storm bringers, her vice sect leader Julius who was known as the empress’ lightning was a brutal man from the area formerly known as Germany in the old map of the time known as earth.

His brutal but efficient method of attack known as blitzkrieg which was rumored to also be the name of his evolved authority was a devastating form of warfare that had left many would be sects and schools reeling in shock as they were cut down so quickly, death taking them before they realized it. And if they somehow survived the terror of the storm mages, they would face the dawn archers, led by the crimson huntress, the scorching queen who wielded a weapon of diamond ranked strength, no doubt given to her by the heretic. Without the weapon, Ayo was also a force of nature, a most feral huntress that had never lost a prey when she wanted, her sect filled with fellow hunters.

Her vice sect leader Charles was known as the piercing bear was a master huntsman as well, he wielded the former bow of his mistress to deadly accuracy and Gosto was sure before Otilia made it to Bastion proper, most of her troops would had been picked off by the archers themselves, leaving her with nothing but a rag tag team of guerilla fighters trying to infiltrate Bastion and Ife the capital of the clan itself. At this point, they would meet the real defenders of Bastion itself, the wall of ascenders modeled after the heretic himself, those who shared just a tiny bit of his path through proxy, the titans’ sentinels.

This unwavering wall of brutality and cold justice were the main reason most factions reconsidered attacking the clan. These set of ascenders prided themselves on their unwavering loyalty to the titan, their will forged and tempered by their sect leader Idris, the mountain himself who remained undefeated except against the heretic himself. Their vice sect leader Josh was known as the rumbling protector, the hulk of a peak iron expert bulldozing his way through obstacles while screaming “for the titan blade!”.

All in all, Otilia would fail miserably if she intended to go after the clan by herself, not because of all these factors he named, but because of the string that held the clan together, the conniving and deadly Mrs. Martha, matriarch of the hands of Anansi and rumored godmother of the heretic. Her hands of Anansi were as deadly as they were as elusive, Gosto knew well enough that the moment they overlooked the sect of mostly elusive ninjas.

Gosto glanced back at the assembled powers of the Luminian order, already lost in thought and seeing Akriel staring at him with a smile,

“I believe the archbishop of the order of alpha and omega has thought this through” he said,

Gosto nodded and explained his reasoning, Otilia literally shaking with indignation at the thought, Ponzio silently listening while assessing also. It was one thing about the archbishop of the blistering guns that he appreciated, the man knew when to shut up and listen, gleaning whatever insight he was given and using it to evolve his order. When he was done, Akriel clapped once and nodded, turning to Elita who spoke next,

“Your insight into warfare is the reason your order is our favored choice when persecuting our enemies” she said,

More like flesh bags you throw at your enemies, Gosto thought grimly,

His order had the highest amount of recruitment for any of the orders and the highest death rate of any of them, even as most of his mage priests were scouring dungeons, trying to ascend as fast as they could. Not that he was complaining though, his order suffered no weaklings and this was the path they had chosen, he turned to his fellow archbishops,

“Going after the clan would be a big mistake, at least for now” he said with a finality,

Perhaps the look in his eyes told them of the thirst of battle being dimmed by the sheer scope of battling the behemoth that was the clan, or the soft deadly warning in his voce, they nodded quietly, both accepting. Satisfied, he turned back to his holy one, waiting for the verdict of the holy one himself. Akriel stretched his hands wide, face upturned as a beam of golden light cascaded down, the archbishops bowing in reverent silence,

“Hear me, thou loyal sons of the great Rieus, for the primordial has spoken and his words are laws unto the fabric of the universe themselves” he started,

“Touch not the clan, ignore the heretic, for the heretic has impeded on the realm of the great Rieus himself and has given our great lord a path to ending this blasphemy, let him come to Lumia, let him in his hubris come here with the mind to end us and watch the majesty of Rieus end the great heretic, this sayeth the lord, amen” he finished,

“amen” they echoed,

***********************************

Fifty ascenders who had delved the supposed path of the titan blade, ten of which were called the wandering titans. Moyo floated above the entirety of Asa and wrinkled his nose at the moniker, he hated rip offs, especially when they were led by some misguided notion of reverence for him. He silently noted where they were situated, watching them battle dungeons without a care in the world and shrugged, they were indeed miniature monsters in their own rights and were seemingly powerful bronze rankers.

Their fighting styles were lacking though and he could see deficits that would cost them in battle, their only luck being the fact that they fought similarly naïve ascenders and monsters. The bronze rankers of the green spear sect would have a field day with them, of that he had no doubt.

The first thing he’d do though was to remove the notion that he was some powerful existence akin to a deity from their minds, and honestly, he saw no better way to do that than to beat it out of them. Ashira appeared by his side, floating as she munched on a pizza,

“Say what you will, but this is the best thing I’ve tasted in a while!’ she exclaimed, mouth full,

He chuckled,

“Wait till you taste amala and vegetable soup” he replied,

“Why don’t we get that first?” she asked,

“Because I called you here to help me assess some potential assets” he said,

“Assets?” she asked,

He nodded and pointed into the distance, using his aura to mark the ascenders,

“Those bumbling barbarians?” she asked stupefied,

“They wouldn’t last in a battle with true bronze rankers” she protested,

Moyo smiled,

“Oh I know, now, what would you say to doing a little tutoring?’ he asked,

Ashira paused then smiled, rubbing her hands together gleefully,

“I like how you think” she replied,