Scott’s gaze lingered on the trio of beings manifested in the light. They looked like living, breathing sculptures, their faces blank slates, yet radiating such brilliance they seemed carved from pure energy. Are they judges of light? he wondered but shook off the thought. Though they bore a striking resemblance to the legendary faceless entities, these figures carried a presence that made those judges seem like cheap imitations.

He shifted his focus to the nihilistic zone, now bubbling and retreating under the radiance. To the untrained eye, the nihilistic zone appeared as mere darkness, but Scott knew better—it was a void disguised as shadow, yet somehow, the light dispelled it. He struggled to fathom how.

“Where are the rest of the Nihilithians?” one figure demanded, doubt coloring its voice.

Scott’s grip tightened on his war hammer, and the chains coiled across his body stirred like sentient vipers. In a flash, blazing rods of pure light materialized in the beings’ hands, each one leveled at him.

“As on the day your ancestors were struck down, so it shall be today. This place shall not bear your vile essence!”

One of the light beings surged forward, dispersing the darkness around Scott as it swung down its flaming rod with a fierce, blue blaze. Scott’s instincts kicked in, and he met the strike with a powerful swing of his war hammer. The weapons clashed, unleashing a shockwave that rumbled across the barren landscape. The light creature staggered back, while Scott held his ground, his eyes flickering with blackened flames that slithered over his hammer and awakened the dormant chains.

In an instant, the other two beings charged, appearing on either side of Scott, their rods ablaze. They struck with precision, but the chains erupted into motion, howling as they intercepted the onslaught. Distortions rippled before the towering entities, and colossal, shadowy fists emerged, landing brutal blows against the light beings. The impact resounded like metal struck in defiance, forcing the trio back, though they bore no visible damage.

“What are you?” one finally asked, its voice tinged with disbelief.

“I don’t know,” Scott replied, meeting their faceless gaze. “And I don’t care about whatever vendetta you have with the Nihilithians. I’m not one of them. But if you choose to fight me, I’ll extend no further mercy than I have already. So, what will it be?”

“You, show us mercy?” one scoffed, seething. “Preposterous! Whatever you are, your connection to those abominations seals your fate.”

“We’ll be the ones denying mercy!” another echoed.

Scott took a steadying breath as they assumed a new battle stance. “Very well. I warned you. Let’s do it your way.”

He extended a hand to the chains, his fingers brushing their surface. “Release your seal.”

A bone-rattling scream tore through the air as the chains expanded, distortions rippling across a two-mile radius. Flaming chains burst from the rifts, weaving a complex web that embedded themselves into the earth. A portion snaked around the light beings, constricting them like a python around its prey. Scott’s voice echoed, though his form had vanished.

“Disappear.”

The chains pulsed violently, forming an annihilation zone wherever they had taken root. They vibrated intensely, releasing a cry that filled the entire zone with its deafening, soul-shaking resonance.

“This can’t be possible,” one of the beings muttered, its voice barely audible over the piercing cries. The light shrouding its form flickered, fading as ominous flames from the chains seeped into their essence. Cracks spiderwebbed across the towering figures, their bodies teetering on the brink of collapse.

“What are you?” one cried out, its tone laced with shock. They struggled against the tightening chains, but every effort only spurred the restraints to coil tighter, while flames gnawed at their forms.

“You may have bested us, but take no pride in this minor victory,” another spat. “Now that your existence is known, all our brethren will ensure that you’re—”

“They will die,” Scott’s cold voice cut in. “I have no stake in your quarrel with the Nihilithians. But if the rest of your kind come for me, I’ll make sure no one remembers them either.”

The bound entities trembled, their cracking bodies swelling with rage. “Silence!” they roared, only to cry out as flames blazed across their forms and the chains constricted further.

“You’re eager to eradicate the Nihilithians, right?” Scott continued. “There’s someone who’d love to meet you. I’ll grant you an audience.”

Nihilistic portals yawned open beneath the trio, and, like stones sinking into a blackened sea, the bound figures vanished into the darkness.

The Nameless One is delighted with your tribute! The Nameless One vows never to forget your offering! The Nameless One has stopped watching you!

Scott dismissed the notification, his gaze scanning the desolate landscape. He gripped his war hammer, eyes narrowing on an unremarkable spot disrupted by the chain network’s distortion.

“You are…?” he called, but only silence responded.

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Moving forward, he adjusted his stance. The chains reacted, portals flickering open, and the matrix expanded further. Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed, and a figure emerged—a humanoid with striking blue skin and elongated ears. She clutched a dagger that shimmered with the same radiance as the entities he had banished, but fear darkened her lilac eyes as she retreated.

Before Scott could react, cries and explosions erupted in the distance, accompanied by the thunderous tremor of thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—marching toward him.

Scott’s gaze flicked away from the blue-skinned intruder to the distant tremors. “Orion, any luck?” he asked over a private channel.

“Unfortunately, no. I managed to connect with Carcosa for only a split second.”

“Enough time to relay the message?”

Orion chuckled. “Just barely. The others should be on their way as soon as they receive it. How’s it going on your end?”

Scott glanced again at the vast wave of champions amassing, each with a system notification glowing before them. “I just finished warming up. Things are about to get… interesting.”

“Same here,” Orion replied with a soft cackle. “Let me know if you need backup. I’ll come running.”

As they ended the channel, Scott surveyed the crowd—a mix of races both familiar and foreign, their collective bloodlust like a physical force. It would’ve been great to have the Wutas here to deal with this, but I’m not complaining. A faint smile tugged at his lips. I haven’t tested my limits in a long time.

Taking a step forward, the chains rattled, filling the air with eerie cries as portals fractured the space above, below, and around him, embedding into the ground like roots.

“I’ll only say this once,” Scott’s voice thundered. “You have ten seconds to leave if you don’t want to die.”

Silence answered as the horde advanced, their bloodlust growing.

“Good,” Scott murmured, a maddened smile twisting his expression. “Just as I hoped.”

He reached out, brushing his fingers over the ever-expanding matrix of chains. “Pull them out.”

The chains vibrated in response to Scott’s command, tremors rolling across the battlefield. Before any of the assembled champions could process the shift, bestial roars and ominous cries echoed from the countless distortions stretched along the chains. The chains drew taut, straining as if reeling in something massive, rattling under the weight of their haul.

“Kill him before he completes his summoning!” a lizardman shouted, blending seamlessly into the landscape as he charged.

The shout set off a chain reaction; more champions surged forward, desperate to strike before whatever lurked within the distortions emerged. Explosions erupted across the vast battlefield, and enormous magic circles materialized above the chaos, while delirious laughter carried through the air.

Orion has started… Scott mused, taking a step forward. Time to finish this.

Nihilistic portals spread like an unstoppable blight, devouring a two-mile radius in an instant. Black tendrils shot out from the darkened mass, ensnaring stunned champions and dragging them into the void.

But even as the ominous cries intensified, more champions approached, their greed clouding all caution. New portals flared to life, unleashing hundreds of eldritch horrors that collided with the advancing champions. Larger portals opened, releasing colossal bestial arms that swung into the fray, scattering champions by the tens of thousands.

Amid the mayhem, one segment of the thrashing chains grew still. From the shadows, a massive, slithering arm extended—a hundred feet long, mangled and dripping with dark filth reeking of ruin and bloodshed. A second arm followed, even more grotesque. Nearby champions stood frozen, eyes wide with terror, some too stunned to flee, others too captivated to move.

Then, a one-eyed triangular head poked through the portal. Silence swept across the battlefield as the abomination’s massive eye scanned the scene, its gaze eventually landing on Scott. Recognition sparked in the creature’s eye, and Scott could see a yellow mark of nightmarish design flaring to life in eye of the creature.

The chains hissed and pulled, yanking the full form of the horror into the open. Its twisted body rotated, emitting a low, pulsating groan. Those entranced by its gaze turned to mimic its movements, eyes bleeding as they followed each rotation. Faster it spun, faster they followed, until a whirlwind of gore and blood erupted. Yet, none of the champions were flung away, remaining grounded, trapped in the creature’s terrifying influence.

Suddenly, the creature halted, and the champions froze. A series of sickening cracks echoed as bodies ruptured into sprays of flesh and bone. The battlefield painted red, and a portion of champions remained, though visibly splintered and withering. The abomination clutched its arms, squeezing until the remaining forms disintegrated into dust.

Another section of the chains stilled, releasing eight enormous tentacles that spewed a yellowish vapor, contaminating the air with a noxious haze.

“The night washes all that is nigh!” a voice chanted from afar.

“And so, we shall be reformed anew!” voices answered in unison.

“The night refreshes all that is weary!”

“So that we may continue to stand!”

“The night dawns over all life!”

“And the grace of the goddess shall rekindle all devoid of light!”

“The Goddess of the Night shall purify all that is tainted!” The confessions thundered together, resonating across the battlefield.

Scott raised his head, observing as pitch darkness blanketed the sky above the battlefield. Yet, within the gloom, countless points of light began to flicker, then grow brighter. A cascade of brilliant beams burst from the darkness, raining down upon the towering abomination and Scott’s position alike. Swiftly, nihilistic portals absorbed the projectiles hurtling toward him, but the abomination wasn’t as fortunate—its form twisted, punctured in multiple places as a sickly green liquid oozed from the wounds, leaking from its perforated eye.

At that same instant, the air thickened with searing heat. Scott’s gaze shifted northeastward, where dozens of blazing serpentine figures materialized, each over a hundred feet long and still expanding.

The Sons of Jörmungandr… The thought barely settled before a deep, resonant hymn drifted from the opposite direction. Scott spotted six bald, scarred giants, their heads bowed, clad only in loincloths as they dragged a massive cross behind them. Encircling them were champions clad in black-and-purple cassocks, fervently chanting the hymn in unison as they approached.

The Brotherhood of the Cross… Scott’s eyes narrowed, memories of the late asura’s descriptions of the famous faction sparking in his mind.

“Life is vain. Death is the beginning. Blood is our pact, and our desire is ephemeral,” a powerful roar resounded from afar.

“But only the Blood Cult is eternal!” came the thunderous response of hundreds of champions in a single voice.

Scott’s gaze drifted toward the oncoming Blood Cult members, his lips curling into a twisted grin. His hand slid over the chains, his voice low, almost a whisper. “Bring them all out.”

The chains extending into his portals began to thrash, animated by his command, and the battlefield trembled with an intense, rhythmic vibration. Amid the approaching chaos, a sharp, resounding crack split the air. Scott looked up to see a portal opening several feet above, and a steady stream of champions poured out, their armor glinting in perfect unison.

Recognition sparked in Scott's eyes, his grin growing even more feral. The silver and white armor of the newcomers was unmistakable.

“The Celestial Blades will not permit the slaughter of the innocent!” a champion shouted; his voice amplified across the battlefield. “Any who persist in this madness shall be swiftly and ruthlessly suppressed!”