[In the final stages of the war, as victory seemed assured, the Vizjerei Council resolved to remove Bartuc from command due to his acts of depravity.

With the philosophical schism of Horazon and Bartuc coming to a head, the Vizjerei fell into civil war as Bartuc turned his forces against his own people.

After many hard-fought battles, Bartuc's contingent gained the upper hand, and he set his armies against Viz-jun. The Vizjerei outnumbered Bartuc 10:1, but when they summoned demons to fight against Bartuc, the creatures turned on their masters.

One-third of the Vizjerei lost their lives in the siege, and if not for the "lesser clans" that followed them, they would have been wiped out. But ultimately, the end of the war would be decided by Horazon and Bartuc themselves.

The battle between the siblings took place just outside the towering gates. Horazon, appearing at the eleventh hour, rose to answer Bartuc's challenge. The cataclysmic battle that resulted brought the walls of the city down around them.

In the midst of this, the hero Telranden led a charge that saved many lives. However, the city was leveled, and the death toll numbered in the hundreds of thousands. And yet the brothers battled, realizing too late that they had both been played for fools by demons.

As the smoke cleared, Bartuc lay dead, with Horazon standing over his brother's corpse.](Neyrelle)

As the girl stopped to take a sip of juice to moisten her throat, she rolled her eyes at the lack of conversation around her.

It was obvious from their gazes that they were waiting for her to continue the story.

Nevertheless, she enjoyed their attention greatly.

[The grieving Horazon was aware that as long as the agents of the Burning Hells had access to Sanctuary, the corruption of hearts and civilizations would never cease. Following the battle, he crafted for himself the Arcane Sanctuary, a place where the agents of Hell could never find him.

For their part, the Vizjerei resolved to spurn Demonic Magic forever and instead focus their studies on Elemental Magic. To further ensure that a tragedy of this magnitude would never be repeated, the Viz-Jaq'taar, an order of mage slayers known as 'Assassins,' was formed.

Yet, it was a little too late. Once, mages were revered in Eastern culture, but when faced with the events that had occurred, the people of Kehjistan turned against them. Many mages were exiled or even executed, and while the Vizjerei survived as a group, they were but a shadow of their former selves.

With the exception of the Yshari Sanctum, the mages' holdings and bastions were pulled down and burnt by the angry citizenry, along with all the knowledge they had collected. Laws were passed against the use of magic, and ultimately, the Age of Magic was replaced by what would become known as the Age of Faith. Throughout over a thousand years, many corrupt Vizjerei would again turn to Hell as a source of power.](Neyrelle)

'That would explain how people went from worshiping magic to worshiping deities. Using the tragedy of the Mage Clan Wars as a cautionary tale, it's no wonder faith propagated throughout the continent. Just like back on Earth, the downfall of civilizations is usually brought about by the ridiculous egos of a handful of men.'

[Because of their actions in the Mage Clan Wars, the Vizjerei never escaped the stigma of their summoning of demons. Even by the 13th century, some still called them 'demon worshippers.'

During the Darkening of Tristram, the Vizjerei sent several Sorcerers to the town. The Vizjerei elders hoped that their acolytes would learn the secrets of the dark evil that they sensed growing in Khanduras and destroy it.

The possibility of discovering long-lost tomes of magical knowledge within the confines of the labyrinth beneath the Tristram Cathedral also captured the interest of many wandering Sorcerers.

One such Sorcerer, Jazreth, worked with Aidan and Moreina to successfully defeat the evil in question—Diablo, the Lord of Terror.

At some point after the destruction of the Worldstone, the Trade Consortium Council of Caldeum worked to unite the Mage Clans and constructed the Yshari Sanctum, hoping to turn Caldeum into a beacon of learning. Along with the Ennead, Ammuit, Taan, and Zann Esu clans, the Vizjerei clan established themselves here, working together with their fellow clans.](Neyrelle)

A strange silence ensued, nobody wanting to be the first to speak.

"'In the end, the Mage Clans reunited, and everything ended on a positive note,' is what I would like to say, but the damage has already been done. Because of their hubris, the Sanctuary had to suffer for over 3,000 years. They were the literal reason why the Burning Hells discovered this world... a world Lilith and Inarius created to hide from the Eternal Conflict. *Sigh* I wonder how shitty did the two of them feel after finding out that their progeny ushered endless destruction and pain into the world just because of their thirst for power."

[*Sigh* If you put it like that, isn't everything Inarius's fault? If he hadn't restrained the Nephalem, this wouldn't have happened.](Hella)

[That's not... right. Since the Nephalem were even stronger in potential than their parents, who's to say they wouldn't have done even worse things if left unshackled?](Neyrelle)

[If Inarius wouldn't have banished Lilith, maybe they could've worked together to fix this...](Mina)

[How can it be his fault only? Lilith is just as guilty of overlooking her children's faults and not understanding her partner well enough.](Aylin)

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

The conversation was successfully shifted, earning Michael a knowing smirk from Natalia.

As the conversation raged with countless arguments pro and against the 'cosmic couple,' she stood up and moved closer to him and Helen.

[I prepared all the needed materials. We can proceed with the ritual the day after tomorrow.](Natalia)

"Thank you, Natalia. I can finally go through my Second Class Awakening and change my skill build."

The conversation paused immediately since everyone's hearing was very good.

They lost interest in depressing topics - especially since they couldn't do anything to change the way history played out - and instead turned their gazes to Michael.

Tia 'ordered' him to share his Skill Tree interface with them so they could offer their input before he made a decision.

It was then decided - mainly through Natalia's suggestions - that he focused on a combination of skills between the very useful Decrepify and Corpse Explosion as a supplement, Corpse Tendrils, and Blight (as Reap would be replaced by it) working as crowd-control, then it would be Blood Mist to act as an escape mechanism, and Army of the Dead as the Ultimate.

"It does sound pretty good since I am locked out of more active skill slots. *Sigh* I'm not sure if I should hope for more slots after my advancement to Tier 3."

[Hmm... I would advise against it.](Aylin)

[I agree.](Natalia)

"Huh? Why? Isn't it better to have more skills to use?"

[Your skill points are limited, though.](Helen)

"Oh... right..."

Since it was getting late, the gathering was brought to a close, with Michael, Helen, and Mina retreating to Helen's room.

The Necromancer was still lost in thought, even if he was in bed with two beauties.

[Still thinking about your reskill?](Helen)

"Yes. According to Natalia, my minions would become incredibly strong after the ritual. Shouldn't I base my skills and items around them, in that case?"

[It's not a bad idea. Increase your Armor and Life Points just like Helen did, and leave the work to your minions.](Mina)

Just as he was about to continue asking for their opinion, Michael saw the thin camisole Mina was wearing and felt his throat parched.

Turning to look at the tigress wearing similar attire, he decisively concluded that he could spend some gold coins and reskill if needed and dived into their plentiful bosoms, drawing giggles from the girls.

Ten minutes later, loud moans would be heard throughout the hallways - if the magical formation covering the room hadn't been activated.

While Mina was still shy in the presence of the tigress, she was more proactive than before.

This significantly enhanced the exulting experience, especially as he stood up to his knees while looking at the plush backsides of both ladies.

As the man of the house, he put in serious work, ensuring the girls would be sufficiently exhausted, therefore resulting in a peaceful and relaxing sleep.

Unfortunately for them, Michael was a bit too excited tonight, which forced everyone to sleep until close to noon the next day, much to the young trio's displeasure.

The Necromancer took over half an hour to coax Neyrelle, Tia, and Evelyn, who were incredibly excited to explore the Scosglen region.

Fortunately, Mina was caught up with other things when he asked her to tell them about extending the Altar search to Dry Steppes, so he immediately used it as a bargaining chip to appease the little devils.

Some quick breakfast/lunch later, the party took the Waypoint to Cerrigar, from where they were planning to move southeast.

According to Celeste's information, they would move clockwise, starting from the southern part of the region, the Downs.

It was the same general location where he dealt with the villagers-turned-werewolves.

Then, they would continue east all the way to Tirmair and the Blood Vale area, then move westward through Corbach and Braestaig.

The Necromancer was slightly worried since there was a good chunk of Scosglen's map he had yet to discover, especially the area north of Braestaig and Túr Dúlra.

Not because the area might be dangerous, but because they would undoubtedly encounter tons of Quests and possibly even Stronghold Events.

This might throw a wrench in his plans to meet up with Natalia the following day, so he quickly gave her a 'call.'

Luckily, the Night Lord was incredibly understanding and had already planned for the ritual to be held closer to tomorrow afternoon, around 3 p.m. or so.

That would allow the group to explore to their heart's content today, collect all the possible Quests and Lilith's Altars, and then return after Michael finished his Class Awakening.

Hearing their time searching for Altars would be extended, the trio immediately bounced joyfully.

The Necromancer wasn't that excited, though.

He kept remembering yesterday's conversation about the Vizjerei, and one particular thing kept replaying in his mind.

'*Sigh* I really can't leave things be and hope nothing comes out of it...'

Infusing some Essence in his Ring of Communication again, he contacted Taissa.

She was currently back in Kehjistan, surprised to hear from him since they only met yesterday, and when they parted ways, it was agreed upon that they would meet once more in six days to deal with whatever Lorath found about Elias.

[Michael.](Taissa)

"Hello, Taissa. I need some help."

[From me? What happened?](Taissa)

"It's related to yesterday's discussion. Is Lorath around?"

[Not for now, but he would return in the evening. Do you need me to pass a message?](Taissa)

"If you could, I'd be immensely grateful. Please ask him everything he knows about Kabraxis."

[That... demon summoned by the Vizjerei? Why?](Taissa)

"Well... I can't exactly put it into words, but I want to be safe."

The woman agreed but was slightly doubtful. Michael couldn't exactly explain the meanings of 'flags' and 'hidden bosses' to her.

'No matter how I look at it, this Kabraxis seems to be one of those scary villains that hide behind the scenes. The fact that I know nothing about it is slightly daunting.'

He tried asking Helen and Aylin last night about the demon, but neither they nor the other Representatives knew more than what they had already shared.

According to them, the Horadrim who shared this information did so only as a cautionary tale and to ensure they would inform them immediately in case they stumble upon this name in recent times.

In conclusion, it was decided to ask Lorath since he was someone Tyrael trusted.

As the Archangel known as the Aspect of Wisdom, he may have shared sufficient information with Lorath regarding this matter.

It would only make sense for him to do so if it was the type of enemy even the big three feared.

'What makes me even more uncertain is that this bastard had been summoned, banished, and 'killed' multiple times through history according to what Neyrelle found and what Natalia also confirmed. If it's the cockroach-type villain, he would probably stretch his claws into the mess the Sanctuary is about to become.'

Once the Cathedral of Light and Inarius did something stupid to mess things up, the Burning Hells would take it as their opportunity to increase the scale of their invasion.

All those scheming in the dark would take advantage of the chaos to resurface and try to claim a portion of the pie known as Sanctuary.

'Then, there's also Mephisto, who's already extending his influence into the mortal realm on a more frequent basis compared with the other Primes. On top of that, his daughter is also planning to stir some shit, though, judging from what I've heard so far, they shouldn't be on 'speaking terms.' There's also Itherael and Auriel, who made direct contact with me. Their reasons for doing so are unknown.'

Sighing at how messy everything was turning, the Necromancer decided to turn his brain off for today and enjoy his exploration with the three girls.

Otherwise, the fears and worries of what tomorrow might bring would certainly slowly wreck his mind.