Pirugan Continent

Rhea-Themis Temple

1 year earlier...

Leilan flew to the top of the stairs that led to the entrance of Rhea-Themis temple. The temple constructed of smooth sandstone still stood strong despite the relentless assault of the sandstorms and fierce tornadoes that blasted through the desert during most of daylight and evening.

The Guardian monsters had determined the lull in the storms and could now see the temple with perfect clarity. More accurately, it was with the help of the god monster, Gaia, that they managed to approach at the wind's abeyance. Her title was known as the Original Goddess of Decision, and her senses had proven that her decisions through attunement with nature were sound.

The entrance stood a solid ten meters in height with a rounded portcullis locked in place above. Impressive pillars with spiraling symbols traveled to the domed top. Statues of hybrid animals stood between each pillar, some worn and broken with age, and others that miraculously maintained what appeared to be their original, detailed designs from the time they were sculpted.

Leilan stopped at the short walls of stone along the tall stairs. She made a mental note of the best positions that would provide their force of light mystic knights some much-needed cover.

The entrance was sealed by a massive stone door with the symbol of a light orb etched into its thick mass. The metal of the sun symbol at its center seemed to shift back and forth with the reflections of the setting sun.

Behind Leilan, two more god monsters ascended the stairs and took positions on either side of her.

The first monster, a female wielding a magnificent spear that pulsed a sapphire aura of magical energy, examined the edge of the oasis below for any sign of the enemy forces that pursued them. Her bulky silver armor covered a creamy white, silken battle gown that was drenched with sweat from the retreat. A portion of her helmet was caved in from a recent blow dealt by an ogre's mace. She removed the helmet and tossed it aside nonchalantly. Her emerald hair unfurled and fell its full length to her waist. She planted a sandled foot on the wall and rested her round shield against it. Her mouth was stretched in a thin line as she gazed emotionless at the edge of the treeline.

The second monster approached the side of the blocked entryway and ran his hand along the stone in search of a hidden mechanism. His striped, dark purple and light violet armor contained multiple melee weapons that stuck out from their attached scabbards. He sheathed a broadsword and tapped his crystalline scepter against the stone. Leilan couldn't see his frustration due to the helmet that encompassed his head, but the constant curling of his fingers was sufficient enough evidence.

The strands of thin fabric attached to his armor billowed behind him from an unanticipated wind that emit from the entrance.

“I have found it,” he said, his voice muffled by the helmet.

He pressed the crystal at the end of the scepter against a specific portion of the wall and the ground began to rumble beneath them. The wind picked up in strength as the stone gateway began to open before them. Barely. It opened far too slow for their liking.

Leilan approached the other female god monster and stared with her into the forest. It was far too quiet for the aftermath of a violent skirmish. The light mystic knights that remained took up positions behind the walls, waiting for the inevitable attack.

“What do you see, Athena?” Leilan asked after a moment of silence.

Athena pointed to the edge of the oasis further to the south. “They are bypassing the traps we set.”

The armored monster behind them spoke up upon hearing this bit of bad news, “It would seem they really do have some all-knowing entity on their side. Hopefully, the sealed passage below is still available for our escape.”

“There better be more than a few magic stones down there,” Leilan said.

Before anyone else had a chance to speak, the southern edge of the shrouded oasis exploded with activity. A figure sitting upon a strange mount burst from the trees and spun in circles through the sand. The rider hooted and hollered as he kicked sand into the air. After a few more donuts through the sand the rider turned in the direction of the temple and sped onward at breakneck speed with a plume of purple smoke drifting behind him. Following were armored dark knights of all classes that rode horses and plodded on foot through the shifting sand.

Leilan and Athena could now see that the steed this monster was riding was unlike any creature they had ever seen. It was comprised of metal parts with two big, glowing red eyes staring angrily at them from the front. A pair of curved handles were used to steer the metal beast. Two circular masses of energy, one to the front and back, spun at seemingly impossible speeds to drive it forward. The rider made a sharp turn that kicked up more sand into the air.

He swung his leg dramatically over one side and dismounted at the foot of the temple stairs. He threw off his purple leather coat lined with soft animal fur and whirled it above his head as he laughed insanely at the two monsters who stared at him expressionless. He gave them a wide obnoxious grin and flipped down the visor on his helmet so he could better see against the sun's rays. Behind him the dark knights were still on their way. He waved at them dismissively while still maintaining his reprehensible grin.

"Such twisted revelry," Athena commented.

Leilan sighed. "I'd prefer any other Legion monster right now."

The monster spread his arms enthusiastically as if he greeting some old friends. “Well if it isn't Athena and Leilan! How wonderful it is-” He stopped himself as he stood on his tiptoes to see behind them. “Well damn! Is that Ra too? I thought we tore your ass up at Hera's place!”

“Who is it?” Ra asked. His eyes remained forward, intent on opening the door faster.

“Beelzebub,” Athena answered flatly.

Ra grunted. “Ah, that asshole. Should've known.”

The dark knights caught up with the insane monster and stood awaiting his commands at the bottom of the long staircase.

“I'd love to catch up, ladies, but we are reeeaallly in a huge rush. We can do this two ways.” Beelzebub paused for a moment as he considered. “Y'know what, screw it. No options. We just kill yah!”

The dark knights took this as their cue and began rushing up the stone steps. They wordlessly formed an organized line that spanned the entire length of the steps with their shields raised to block the ranged attacks from above.

The light mystic knights fired crossbow bolts down at the mass of black that crept up the steps behind the relentless defenses. None of the projectiles could pierce the shields or break through any holes. The tall shields for the frontmen were forged to interconnect with the ones beside them. The only opening was a limited gap at the feet. The angle of the steps covered all of these openings. The dark knights to the rear flung spears and fired their own crossbows to limit the attacks of the light knights above. The fight would be taken to even ground in a matter of seconds.

“Chelone!” Athena barked.

The light knights obeyed her command and squatted at the top of the stairs with their tall shields propped into the crevices of the stone. A second line formed behind the first as support. This second row of knights lifted shields above their heads to cover themselves and their comrades in the front. A similar process was repeated a few more lines back. A select group of the golden knights hugged the lines and took positions behind the squat walls with a partner hefting a shield to defend the ranged fighters.

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“Steady!” Athena shouted.

The light knights braced themselves behind their shields. They trusted Athena to be their eyes. The soldiers in dark armor were nearly upon them.

When the dark knights reached them Athena commanded, “Brace!”

The gold-armored warriors locked their arms in a firm stance to absorb the force of the blows from the enemy's heavy shields and weapons.

Athena saw a break in the momentum. “Push!”

The first row of light knights jerked their shields forward and dug their heels into the ground for a balance of foundation and forward force. They had plenty of ground behind them, along with the support of their comrades to the rear for maintaining position. The enemy dark knights had no room to retain a proper stance to withstand the force of the shields due to the short width of the stairs. The shields forced them back and many tumbled into their comrades or fell off the edge. All it took was one push to rattle the enemy's offensive. The top of the stairs were completely sealed by the shields with no way around with the walls blocking passage to either side. The dark knights closer to the rear flung their spears and fired arrows in random arcs to see if any might penetrate the defensive formation. All of the projectiles glanced harmlessly off the shields protecting the front and top of the soldiers. The formation was seemingly perfect. It took advantage of the high ground, the narrow area of passage and the lack of stable footing on the enemy's part.

Leilan deflected any ranged attacks that came near the squatting Athena who eyed the formation of her soldiers with undeterred focus.

“Absolutely brilliant,” Leilan said as the soldiers continued to shove the enemy back down the stairs.

“Beelzebub should have led the attack,” Athena said. “He is an impulsive fool. His own forces are now blocking his advance.”

A movement to the north caught Leilan's attention. She narrowed her eyes curiously at the opposite edge of the oasis. A humanoid figure broke through the canopy of trees and began to beat his wings furiously in their direction. There were six black wings on the monster's back instead of two. His blood-red armor dominated the horizon with his contrasting long, white hair. He drew a massive sword from his back as he approached.

Another monster appeared from further north, but Leilan recognized the flaming chariot immediately.

Athena followed her eyes to the north and let out a curse as she recognized the two monsters.

“How much longer?” Leilan shouted.

A loud clang sounded from behind her like a hammer striking an anvil as a lock on the inside of the temple disengaged.

“Well, no more than a minute,” Ra answered. “Why?”

“Lucifer and Belial are on their way,” Athena answered.

“Swell.”

The stone rumbled under their feet as the heavy doorway continued to slide up from the ground with a groan of resistance. Ra nodded with satisfaction and moved to join Leilan and Athena. He froze as he caught the image of a stream of darkness in the distance heading towards them at an incredible speed. Athena called out orders for her knights to prepare themselves for the blast.

Leilan recognized Lucifer's active skill immediately. “Damn. He prepared his Evil Nova.”

They had all seen how absurdly powerful Lucifer's primary active skill was. A streak of darkness that expanded with the more distance it covered. It was primarily for assassinating light attribute enemies, rendering them practically helpless with a single blow. Even the percentage of its attack power increased over the distance. An attack such as this would be devastating for both Athena and Ra. And on a narrow, open landing with the entrance still blocked there was nowhere to take cover.

Ra stepped in front of his companions and tapped his scepter against his heels like a baseball player preparing for his turn to bat. He took a side stance with his scepter leading and sword pointed towards the streak of expanding darkness.

“He isn't the only one who saved an active skill,” he said reassuringly.

“Covering that amount of distance and growing in strength, you won't even slow it down,” Leilan said.

Ra addressed her with feigned hurt in his voice, “Your faith in me is duly noted. You haven't seen my active skill with all its restraints removed.”

Leilan gave him an incredulous look. Restraints?

Ra focused on the crystal of his scepter and a blinding flash emitted to consume the platform they all stood on. The dark mystic knights on the stairs didn't shield their eyes in time and reeled back to collapse into their comrades who fell into the ones behind them. The mystic light knights who still maintained their defensive formation were thankful for the reprieve.

“Release restraint on Solar Lazer,” Ra stated. An unseen locking mechanism inside his scepter separated with a metallic click. The sharp black metal fastened to the crystal shifted outwards. “Release restraint on Solar Cannon.” Another click of metal released. The dark nova from Lucifer was nearly upon them. “Release restraint on Solar Explosion.” A final click. Ra braced himself, straightened the rear arm holding his sword and relaxed his leading arm to accept the kick from the outward force that would soon arrive from the trembling scepter.

“Initiate active skill, Solar Incineration!”

The massive streak of light that emitted from Ra's scepter sucked the air around it inwards and tore the stone from the platform around his feet. The searing light reached the approaching darkness in a matter of seconds and pierced straight through with no signs of resistance. The darkness shattered into strips like flimsy paper and dissipated. Crackling fractions of light sought them out from the main body and quelled them mercilessly. The sky cleared once again as if the darkness had never existed at all.

Ra took an uneasy step and collapsed on his rear with a heavy thud. Athena and Leilan rushed over to him and each grabbed him under one arm so they could drag his bulky, armored form towards the gaping entrance of the temple. The light mystic knights broke their lines one by one in a strategic retreat and positioned themselves outside the entrance that began to seal as the god monsters crossed the threshold. The dark knights were still disoriented from the blast of light.

They could hear Beelzebub's crazed shouts of fury from below as he continued throwing aside any of his own soldiers that got in his way.

He reached the top just in time to see Ra being dragged into the temple. The light knights broke formation as the stone slab nearly sealed itself in place.

Ra made an obscene gesture with one of his fingers that threw Beelzebub into an even more uncontrollable rage.

The stone slab sealed the entrance and the monsters were plunged into a stifling darkness.

Ra mustered enough bits of power left over to light his scepter and illuminate the darkness. The light mystic knights fanned out in small groups to secure the room.

“This is the third time,” Leilan growled.

“Third time?” Ra asked.

Athena nodded a grim assent. “Indeed. Once again, they achieved an impossible advantage in a major engagement. Our diversions, traps, prior defensive strategies, all rendered useless with little effort.”

“So they really do have something helping them.”

“I am starting to lean towards Metatron's theory,” Leilan said. “This being is not of this world.”

“Takamura's warning?” Ra asked.

Leilan hefted her polearm and helped Ra to his feet. “Yeah. My guess is the other Creators have already started meddling.”

“Let's just retrieve the magic stones for Pandora,” Athena said.

The three god monsters followed their knights further into the darkness. They prayed that this all-seeing entity didn't know of the secret passage that led out of the temple.

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Pirugan Continent

Sarkast

Present Day...

Ray listened intently and without interruption as Leilan relayed her story: Takamura's warning, the universal code, the war of the god monsters and this strange, seemingly omniscient entity. It was an over-abundance of information that flooded his brain.

The information about the universal code was beyond his understanding. A code that was derived from his own world? Ray didn't know how to take this. So, Takamura created a code that manipulated worlds. If that was the case, then Pirugan potentially existed before Takamura came along and started messing around.

Ray wondered how it took so long for Takamura to realize that the world he visited and tampered with was actually real. If the universal code didn't create worlds, then stumbling on its very existence should've been a clear warning sign.

Leilan's perspective, and even the knowledge of the other monsters, would most likely never be enough to reach an understanding. The man who once held a full grasp of everything was dead.

Ray struggled to still his trembling hands when Leilan concluded with the most recent events at Caramoc Cove against Satan. One thing was certain to him: his comrades were losing this war. But with this Reversion that Leilan spoke of, it seemed they now had a much better chance than before.

Ray's mind went blank, and it took him a few minutes for him to somewhat regain his bearings. He stared at the two monsters who were now waiting for him to break the silence.

“I need time to think,” Ray said.

“Of course. It's a lot to take in,” Leilan said.

Verche remained silent and only made an acknowledgment with the slight nod of his head.

Ray chuckled. “And here I thought I was going to be playing a game.”

He rose from his seat on trembling legs and left the the room to be alone with his thoughts. He took a seat at the kitchen table and drummed his fingers on the smoothed oak as his other hand continued shaking. A thrilled shudder coursed through his body as all the information processed and came together.  He failed to recall a time where he felt like this. Sure, there was the palpable fear, but the world he planned to use as an escape from his own had turned into so much more. It felt as if there was nothing for him in his own world. It lacked something. Was his desire selfish? Of course it was. He knew it well. But his whole life had been spent pleasing others while leaving his own wishes tucked away somewhere that had once been forgotten. Not anymore. This world would give him something that he thought was never meant for him. That greater purpose.