Idris stood close to Moyo as they studied the movements of the legion, behind him stood their reserve forces, hundreds upon hundreds of Ijas and Ashas, custom made for each of the troop forces. An android that served as his communication expert with the ship above due to the aether resonators not having enough force to punch through the abyssal interference in the atmosphere. The android, a member of the artillery unit snapped his head towards Moyo,

“My lord” he started as Idris and Moyo turned to him,

“The defiance has registered abyssal pathways breaking open in orbit, some sort of ship coming to reinforce the planet” he said,

“Threat level?” Idris asked,

“Unknown, although the defiance registers their weapons are barely gold rank standard, they are double the amount of ships we have in space” he replied,

“Order the defiance and some battleships to peel off and wreak them, tell Urne she has been granted authority to implement shield protocol if necessary, although as a last resort” Moyo ordered as the android snapped and salute and turned back to the communication construct, typing in the response,

“Abyssal power is so thick here that we can barely get a video message through” he gritted his teeth,

Snapping his head to the holographic beacon display that followed the movements of all ten forces, Idris spoke,

“The lances and the brawlers have breached the fortress omega” he said softly,

“Casualty rates?’ Moyo asked grimly,

“Less than 5%, project construct armour has proven a success, we can proceed with Ahib producing them in mass” Idris reported,

“Less than 5%” Moyo murmured, balling his fists tight,

Idris glanced at him,

“You promised their deaths won’t be in vain, don’t belittle their sacrifices by wishing you were there” he said bluntly as Moyo glanced at him,

“They lived and died a part of your legion, it was one of the highest honours to some of them who were nobodies before now from the little I’ve gleamed with talking with them” Idris said,

“In what way?” Moyo asked,

“I’m not sure you noticed my lord, but after we went through the initial screening where you asked if most of them were affiliated with any of the greater houses or clans, I made a few friends among them, mostly irons and bronzes” Idris started,

“And what I’ve been able to piece together is that planetary force titan blade is made up of predominantly ascenders with no noticeable backgrounds. Ascenders whose only dream in life were to make it expert rank and iron at that, this war was an opportunity to increase their fortunes as well as their standings in life” he explained,

“There are hundreds of thousands of worlds in the archailect, backwater systems such as Gaia was once like where the strongest ascenders were iron rankers and in some shocking cases, advocates, these were the ascenders who were conscripted to our forces and from where reinforcements are coming from” Idris explained,

Moyo sighed, again unaware of just how deep the conspiracy went in the higher echelons and just how little of his army he knew. Idris placed one hand on his shoulder,

“It is not your place my lord, to bother about issues like that. It is why you have the clan; it is why you have the order and why you have the guard, we carry the bulk of these issues so you may get stronger to protect us all” Idris said firmly,

Moyo gave a soft smile,

“Thank you” he said gratefully, Idris nodding,

“My lord!” the android called out,

“Battleship purgatory of the diablos troop force just ordered a bombardment on the city they besieged, it seems their forces are under heavy fire!” he reported,

Moyo growled as he gripped dominion and prepared to tear a pathway through to the position of one of his guard when Idris clamped a hand on him. Moyo stared at him in confusion,

“Trust his judgement” Idris said,

“Our men are dying” Moyo said in astonishment,

“Communicator!” Idris barked as the android snapped to attention,

“Give me the casualty percentage of the diablos and fangs” he ordered,

The android snapped another attention before turning back for a brief second,

“Less than 5% also, the Ijas and Ashas held back the brunt of the firepower from the cultists while commanders Marcel and Romulus have resorted to using their realms to weather the attacks” he reported,

Idris stared at Moyo even as the android gave his report,

“They are your guard, they exist to protect you, the calm before your storm, your heralds so to speak” Idris said,

“Trust them and their decisions, trust your forces, you won’t always be there to save them every time” Idris pleaded,

Moyo had a hard time accepting that, but he nodded,

“Inform all forces to find a way to get their dead back to this base, assuming they haven’t dissipated to aether” Moyo murmured,

The android saluted, before relaying the message, another ping echoed again,

“Forces Aegis and revenants have breached fortress delta, casualty rate, less than 5% also” Idris said,

Both master and champion glanced at themselves,

“a trap?” Idris asked,

”probably, it feels like they’re throwing the grunts at us” Moyo murmured,

The android faced them,

“All forces are reporting fighting gold ranked Nethertaurs, a new specie known as Muttites that protect the batteries and diamond ranked creatures known as Devigians” he reported,

“If they’re throwing diamond rankers at battery placements, what protects the fortresses themselves?” Idris asked,

“And what in the archailects name protects the spire itself?” Moyo replied, just as bothered,

He turned at once to the android,

“inform all forces to be wary of traps, look out for whoever heads the fortresses and both forces working together to link up, both commanders are ordered to work together, diamond level or even archailect forbids, elite level cultists could be involved, should any be sighted, retreat and wait for me” he ordered,

Idris nodded, agreeing with him, as the communicator passed the message, Moyo turned to Idris,

“Once he’s done, inform him that I need two battleships in orbit and if possible, the defiance itself stationed close to the fortress for glassing, I’m not taking risks” he growled,

Idris nodded as Moyo walked towards where the artillery units prepped their reserve forces, it would be time to move soon.

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

Marcel and his diablos met up with Romulus and his fangs at the now broken walls of city alpha, both forces battered but looking grim and defiant, Marcel couldn’t be prouder of their forces. Despite the battering they had taken breaking into the fortress, they had held their grounds and were preparing to dig in.

the six remaining captains of his forces surrounded him, eyes scanning for threats as Romulus landed softly next to him despite his large size. The commander of the fangs formerly known as the titans’ fangs but after commander-general Idris had spoken to him, wincing as he told him of how the titan blade was tired of having everything linked to him.

Marcel honestly thought the fang was a better name, and it suited the forces of Romulus who had brutish looks best left on the bodies of Vikings. Romulus and his gold captains who had painted one part of their clothes in silver and blue surrounded him also, landing close to their lord as Ijas and Ashas followed the bulk of their troops into the city, digging in as they prepared for what would inevitably be a long and arduous battle. Both commanders and guard brothers clapped each other on the shoulder,

“Romulus, it is good to see you in good condition” Marcel confessed,

“Indeed, those Devigians were not what I’d expected for a simple battery placement” Romulus rumbled back,

Two androids from the artillery units ran towards them, both wearing the colours of troops diablos and fangs respectively,

“Communication from base” they both said,

Romulus glanced at Marcel,

“What are the odds we’re both receiving orders at the same time?” he asked,

“Probably the same message, proceed” Marcel ordered,

The two commanders listened to the same message, frowns on their faces,

“It is indeed as we feared’ Marcel said,

“The lord agrees as well, perhaps we slowly comb this city” Romulus replied as Marcel nodded

The both of them ordered their forces together, over twenty thousand ascenders of different ranks and powers marching together as the artillery units set up defensive positions, the Ijas moving to the weapon placements.

The city itself was made of corners and narrow streets, something not suitable for either the Ijas or the Ashas who could be picked out by assassins or other sniper-like forces of the cult. The shimmering barrier of ascenders with defensive mantles were the only protection between them and whatever attacks the cultists could decide to employ at any minute.

Marcel stared at the tall warped buildings in silence, not a single shadow could be seen, then again, the buildings reeked of abyssal powers and Marcel had no doubt they were watching them. Romulus stood by his side,

“As far as plans go, this is about the most amusing we have” he said,

Marcel gave a light chuckle,

“If they won’t come to us, then we flush them out and get to the main castle itself” he responded as Romulus nodded,

“Begin bombardment” Marcel said as his gold captain next to him nodded, giving the order, Romulus ordering his too,

The very ground of the city shook with the initial salvos from the Ijas, ripping into buildings as they exploded, the very path to the main castle being cleared for their forces. Romulus stared hard, his blue eyes glowing,

“what?, what is it brother?’ Marcel asked,

“these buildings, they’re empty, something isn’t right” he said,

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“All the more reason to spring the traps” Marcel said as he gave the order,

Reality itself rippled and burned as thousands of realms slammed into place, turning the very space around them into a caricature of colours, no definite shape taking place. The power of the realms however provided the much needed protection as the forces began making their way through the cleared road, leaving behind the artillery units to continue its bombardments in all directions.

Marcel with his weapons out and his six gold captains around him pushed forwards with Romulus as well, their forces moving closely behind as they made all haste towards the castle in the distance. That was when all hell broke loose, the buildings on either side of them shattering as hulking abominations of putrid flesh and bones roared to life,

“Are those fucking dragons?!” Romulus shouted,

“All forces shield!” Marcel shouted,

Mantles snapped in blade, shield users moving to either side as large aura shields formed, mana shields and all sorts of defensive weapons and relics blazed to life. Marcel watched with wide eyes as the abominations took a deep breath,

“Brace!” he shouted,

He and Romulus moved as one, coming together and tapping into their respective titan aspects as they called out commands,

“Corrode!”

“Rip!”

The undead dragons or what looked more like reanimated serpents spewed a torrent of green acidic liquid from their maws, the liquid bathing the entire forces while eating into their shields rapidly. The command attacks from both commanders however slammed into the creatures, eating and ripping deeply into their already putrid flesh, the creatures shrieking in agony,

“Lay it on them!” Romulus ordered,

Lances of mana, intent and aura attacks bombarded the creatures on both sides as the forces spread out, Marcel blitzing forwards, his knife cleanly decapitating one of the creatures as it reeled from the attack. His eyes fell on the cultist forces who stood behind the creatures, waiting for them, and with finesse he nimbly dodged two gold ranked attacks from projectile weapons landing and dashing forwards as the very spot he landed on immediately decimated by attacks.

He was suddenly within them, knives flashing out as he tore into them. Weaving and dodging in between Nethertaurs of gold ranks who smashed aside their allies in a haste to pound him to a smear, he unleashed his realm around them, the cultists screaming as they corroded to their very bones.

Glancing around, a blurring shape stepped in between him and a large projectile weapon that shot from a building in the distance where the Ija artilleries couldn’t reach. Romulus flicked the putrid green liquid from his hands,

“Safe to say these were cultists of Molrik?’ he growled,

“I’m not sure it works that way” Marcel replied as explosions answered behind them, the Ijas now concentrating their shots on the remaining dragons,

Coating his hands in his corrosive mana, he blurred forwards, smashing into the skull of another of the dragons as it exploded in a shower of gore, his corrosive path eating what was left of the body. Landing as both captains from his forces and the fangs brought down the final serpent, its form turning to liquid as it slumped on the ground. Marcel shouted out orders,

“Those than can still move, take sentry positions, all those injured to the back, healing elixirs now!”

Forces moved their injured members to the back, where they were within sight of the Ijas, the Ashas now free around a certain area took the skies, Marcel and Romulus moved around, staring at the injured ascenders who groaned in pain, their bodies healing rapidly. Romulus knelt close to a member of his troops, patting him on the shoulder as the man nodded resolutely despite the obvious agony in his eyes,

“They aim to slow us down, but for what reason I cannot fathom” he murmured,

“it’s a war of attrition, they hope to cut down our numbers before we reach the castle itself that would no doubt be heavily defended” Marcel replied softly,

Romulus stood up, staring in the horizon,

“then we have no time to waste, the sooner we bring down the castle itself the better for us” he said,

“you’re talking about a precision attack?, small group, take out the boss in a jiffy” Marcel said as Romulus nodded,

“Sort of makes you wish we had Julius here” Romulus said as Marcel gave a grim chuckle,

The vice sect leader of the storm callers was known for his form of warfare known as blitzkrieg, a fast moving, hitting like lightning form of battle that left the enemy reeling from it before the main forces of the sect came down on them like a hammer. Unfortunately, none of the powers of the clan itself were present, and Marcel couldn’t start living in a world of wishes, the legion of the titan would get the work done.

Turning to Romulus he nodded,

“Me, you and our gold captains” he started,

“We move in stealthily, take out whatever scouts are watching our positions and sneak into the castle itself, take out whatever boss cultist stays there and hopefully pray it’s not an elite” he finished,

“Fine by me, I grow weary of these hit and run attacks” Romulus said,

Organizing their forces, they placed the troops under the commands of one of their gold captains, Marcel taking the five remaining captains with him and Romulus his complete ten. Using the shelling of the Ijas as cover fire, they moved swiftly through the cloud of dusts, pushing ever closer to the castle while being aware that they moved farther and farther from the protection of the aether resonators. Hiding between rubbles, Romulus sent his golds out, watching as they pinpointed the sentries of the cultists.

Hidden in between crevices like they did also, the two groups went hunting, maintaining absolute silence. Marcel silently corroding paths for his golds to go through, appearing behind two cultists who whirled too late to raise alarms. Marcel buried one of his blades up the jaw of a cultist, watching as its body froze up and slumped, devoid of life. Throwing the body to the side, he watched one of his golds, a large figure on a body aura path relieve the head of a cultist off its shoulder with one swing of his broadsword. If there was one thing Marcel could be grateful for about this battle on the planet, it was that the rates of ascension would be astronomical, for those that survived of course.

Ensuring the cultists were dead, they moved swiftly, cutting through another rubble of rocks on their path to the castle and catching more sentries off guard. The cultists in their ignorance maintained a straight line of survey rather than spread out, Marcel supposed he was grateful for that, it made the job easier, but he couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about just what sort of trouble they were walking into. The castle loomed in the distance and Marcel with his golds paused,

“Problems commander?” the large man asked,

Marcel shook his head,

“We wait for Romulus” he replied softly,

Maintaining absolute silence, they waited till they saw the blurring form of Romulus and his large golds that somehow were stealthy enough not to make any sounds enter the cavern where they stayed. The walls make of debris and crystals that had been corrupted green instead of the natural black that they were, both forces observing the looming castle with cultists walking up and down the walls, battery placements primed and ready to bathe their incoming forces in decaying, mutating firepower. Marcel tapped one finger on his folded arms,

“Those batteries need to go down and fast” he said softly,

“Unless you’re saying we split our forces again, send the golds after the batteries while we make our way into the castle” Romulus said,

“it’s the plausible solution, but then again we have no idea if a Devigian is right there as well” Marcel said,

Turning, he picked two of his golds,

“Alright, here’s what we’re going to do” he said softly,

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

The cultists atop the wall stared into the smoky city, gold ranked eyes barely making out the form of the army coming for them,

“Why haven’t the scouts reported movements yet?” the cultist next to the one with the pathway generator spoke up,

“Again, I have no idea, perhaps they’re sleeping, perhaps they’ve seen no movements, I don’t care” he growled as the one with pathway crystal growled,

It was the reason he hated babysitting lower ranked members of the cult, finally at the peak of gold rank, he had defected secretly with his sect who followed Rohan after his brazen attack at Altera. Soon enough he would advance to diamond and gain the honor of bonding with a category 5 swarm lord, just as soon as they repelled these upstarts from the archailect. Sighing at the jittering cult member, he moved to talk when a figure suddenly appeared next to him, axe moving so fast he barely felt his hands being relieved from his body.

Grunting in pain, he rolled, hoping to release a beam of abyssal energy from his core to warn the castle, to warn their now ascended diamond captain when he rolled into the barrel of a gun, closing his eyes in finality, the last thought that went through his mind as the intent blew his skull to smithereens was what would become of his sect.

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

The two gold captains of diablos knelt in silence, the silenced gun of female gold captain sizzling with intent as the stared at the two bodies they had laid to waste. Waiting to see some sort of beacon or a cry of alarm, they froze as statues, relaxing a few seconds later when none came,

“Seems all teams were successful” the female said,

“And now we sabotage the batteries” the man replied nodding,

Bringing out the crystals they held reverently, the female murmured,

“So little and so deadly” she said,

“The corrosive path of the commander, not even I would be stupid to take it on” the man replied,

Placing two crystals each on the batteries, they watched as the bodies of the cultists began tot urn to sludge with a putrid green colour and pungent smell. With looks of revulsion, they made their way back through the hole they had made in the wall, the corroded path carved for them collecting them back like they hadn’t been there.

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

Marcel and Romulus watched as their teams returned, silence still prevailing in the castle as he grinned,

“Well, that proceeded as we expected” Marcel muttered,

“And now for the hard part” Romulus replied,

Turning to their golds, Marcel spoke,

“This is the part where you sit tight and wait for the battle to start, wipe out any forces under gold if you can, anything more than gold or if enemy fire is getting worse, you run, I’m not losing any more captains today” Marcel said,

The female gold looked a bit disappointed,

“we’re what you are to the lord commander, you asking us to let you walk into harms way goes against everything we’ve fought for” she protested,

Marcel saw Romulus was facing the same protest from his golds,

“Listen, those forces out there need you more than we do” Romulus said,

“We can probably handle whatever is in that castle, you guys however cannot, this is a direct order, clear out any threat our forces, blow up the walls when you hear the fight start from within the castle and seize control of this castle surroundings” Marcel finished,

The golds saluted reluctantly, Marcel nodding as Romulus turned to him,

“let’s get this over with” he said,

Marcel touched the walls of the cave, activating his corroding aura and watching it eat into the stones rapidly.

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

They appeared deep within the castle, in a dusty corridor where flickering green fires burned, its walls made of dark green blocks of crystals that revealed the sub-aspect of decay and mutation in equal measures. It was one of the reasons why Marcel wanted only he and Romulus to make their way into the castle itself, the golds would be blind to the aspect of the abyss and its dangers. Even as the two guards entered the castle through the tunnel they had made. Silently making their way through the castle, they silently ended the cultists they met, nothing just how mostly gold and below made up the castle.

Crouching close to the large green doors, they watched it swing open,

“Do come in” a voice echoed from within the halls where the doors led,

Marcel steeled his heart, they had both known it was a trap, it had always been a trap. From the absence of the bulk of the cultist forces within the castle and the city itself, to the absence of the majority of their forces within the castle itself, Marcel had known things were not as they seemed. He stood up and moved calmly with Romulus who followed beside him, entering the hall itself and seeing some sort of grotesque abomination on a dilapidated throne. Like a skinned but infected creature, Marcel stared in revulsion and in wariness of the Devigians that stood beside him, in its hand a large two-sided axe,

“so, you’re all your ruler sent?, I’m insulted” the being rasped as it stood with a squelching sound, like raw meat that had stuck to a surface and being removed.

Marcel bit back his revulsion at the sight, mantle of scorching rock armour coating his body, Romulus transformed to his full beast form again. A large snow-white werewolf with claws of diamond ranked strength, his mantle, a blue sheen all over his body glowed, the being on the throne pointed at them,

“Rejoice, for I am but a newest creation of the scion of lord Molrik, the great Vesh phantom scourge” he croaked,

“Praise be the mutator and his works!” the Devigian thundered with reverence,

Then it moved, with speed a fraction faster than diamond rank, but Marcel had been prepared, plus he had been tapping into the aspect of the titan. A wall of shimmering corrosive aura went up, his blade whipping in response, Romulus roared and went after the Devigian who boomed with laughter,

“Come, let me dedicate your flesh to lord Molrik and remake you anew” it roared,

Marcel felt the abomination tear through the corrosive effect of his wall with ease, rolling out of the ways of its black claws, his two weapons going up to block its attack as the claws came down on him, driving him to his knees. The creature grinned, needle-like teeth salivating at him,

“You are weak, not befitting of the rank of diamond!” It said,

Marcel answered with his two knives leaving burning marks on its arms as it recoiled,

“Anathema!” it shrieked,

The aspect of the titan, Marcel grinned, the Devigian distracted by the word had its entrails dragged out by Romulus who punched one feline hand right through its midsection before ripping its spine or what passed for it out as well. The abomination stretched its hands as its back tore open, six arms coming out from behind, three on both sides, it roared as it blitzed towards Romulus who rolled out of the way. It paid no attention to the guard though, landing close to the body of the Devigian and beginning to slurp up its fluids.

Marcel and Romulus stared in horror, Romulus roaring, his skill roar of the alpha shattering the windows of the castle, ripping intent coalescing around the abomination as it shrieked in a most unholy voice. From outside the castle, explosions began to echo, the walls shattering like fragile glass. The creature stood as it convulsed, its flash tearing and reknitting itself back, Romulus moved as Marcel shouted,

“Wait!” he said, Romulus skidding to a halt,

“it’s transforming” he warned,

The once putrid flesh began to balloon, its frame expanded as it became bloated, its once calm eyes becoming frenzied as it gave a shrieking laughter,

“praise lord Molrik!, praise lady Vesh!, praise urk!” it said, choking towards the end as its eyes widened,

Its frame began to expand more,

“no!, no!, mercy!, I have served you well!” it pleaded,

Swelling to sizes that almost touched the top of the castle roof, Marcel realized with horror what was about to happen,

“Lay all attacks on it!” he screamed,

Romulus answered as his claws glowed and he released his command fuelled by the aspect of the titan,

“SHRED!” he thundered,

Marcel raised both knives realizing too late what was about to happen, he couldn’t afford to double guess the command, so he spoke it even as the being exploded in a wave of gore and putrid decay aspect that melted the entire castle, the very walls crumbling down. Marcel stood next to Romulus the moment the creature exploded, his very path holding back the deluge of the attack, blasting out his path in a wave of counter explosive power, attempting to hold back the suicidal attack. When the sizzled smoke cleared, the entire spot where the castle once stood had become a large body od frothing abyssal fluid, constrained to that place alone by a kneeling Marcel who stood with Romulus on a patch of rock.

Romulus held him, Marcel’s hands slumping as he passed out, the golds captains appearing from the rubble, behind them the forces of their troops, Ashas flying above them, ascenders running towards their position were the two guard sat in exhaustion, one barely awake and the second unconscious.