[MYRIAD: Nexus]
Few moments before the invasion began...
Four entities were gathered around the [Nexus-The culmination of creation], namely Zeus, Hades, Heimdall and [The Retired One]. They gently hovered over an elevated platform, monitoring the events occurring in [The Outer Sector]. They circled around the [Nexus], tagging significant entities within the conflict.
Below the elevated platform stood Gazeera, accompanied by Aminon and Deimos.
"...Sending just two retainers, demons are getting too confident.", Zeus commented, remotely gazing at [Gaki] and [Aerico]. "Getting their hands on your weapon [Durmungar] seems to have made them bolder."
"Not for long, [Durmungar] will return to me eventually.", Hades rebuked. "And, it seems like our suspicions were true. 'He'... [The Purge] has finally decided to make his move."
"It seems like whatever he was weaving around [Yggdrasil] is almost complete.", Heimdall chimed in. "That bloody Pariah still persists after eight cycles of [Ragnarok]."
[The Retired One] silently hovered in place, focusing primarily on the [Nexus].
"[Covenant's] absence from this expedition is concerning.", Hades continued. "They have been awfully quiet about everything for a while. With how desperate they were for three whole cycles of [Ragnarok], I believed they would have been the first ones to help us with our invasion."
"Maybe their morale has shattered. After countless expedition failures, they might have just given up on pursuing their Sovereign's final mission.", Zeus grinned. "It's a shame, really. Their faction reduced to such a pathetic husk of their past. It's funny to think they once ruled [MYRIAD] for almost four cycles of [Ragnarok]."
"It's hard to believe that their morale shattered, especially when they have someone like Adrian leading them.", Hades replied. "Not to mention, Borath... Kongbu switched to their faction as well."
"Adrian?.. Call him by his real name Janus.", Zeus snorted in disdain. "And, Kongbu is just a newborn. A formidable entity, being the [God of Carnage] but still inexperienced. This is his first cycle of [Ragnarok]."
"Well, their motives are irrelevant.", Hades continued. "[The Covenant's] inaction will cost them dearly, for this was their only opportunity to relive their former glory."
"Hermes is getting suppressed.", [The Retired One] reported.
"Hmmm...", Zeus hovered closer to the [Nexus], pointing at the masked figure fighting Hermes. "This entity looks formidable."
"The formation is intricately built, specifically meant to counter Hermes. But its functionality is highly impractical.", Hades spoke, as he observed the warrior wearing the jester mask draped in black robes. "One needs to have exceptionally high levels of perception to pull it off."
"It's impressive that he managed to suppress Hermes like that.", Zeus mused, snapping his fingers, he instructed [The Retired One]. "Try probing his background across timelines. We might find something interesting."
"His life is obscured, hidden from time.", [The Retired One] muttered gritting his teeth, glaring at the faint spectral aura shrouding the masked figure. "[The Purge] is interfering with my divinations."
"His presence is subtle, contained within the sigils of the robes.", Heimdall commented. "I presume the Rift-borne seem to possess an artefact that allows them to commune with [The Purge]."
"Or, [The Purge] values this specific individual to a certain extent.", suggested Hades.
"The Rift-borne can freely commune with [The Purge].", [The Retired One] spoke, as he continued analyzing [Nexus]. "Phobos has been neutralized by the Dragon King."
"This complicates the situation.", Hades replied.
"Hermes can handle himself, have Thanatos coordinate with him for the time being.", Zeus instructed. "It is less convenient to use death instead of fear, but we'll have to improvise."
Below the elevated platform, Gazeera was fascinated by the [Nexus]:
"Are we just going to continue monitoring the invasion from afar?", Gazeera questioned Aminon.
"No, not really. We will jump in when the time is right.", Aminon happily chimed in with a bright smile on her face. "For now, just trust Hermes, Gazeera. He can easily handle any adversity."
Deimos silently observed the [Nexus], trembling with concern.
"The situation seems tense, what are they even trying to do with the [Nexus]?", asked Gazeera.
"Well... to put it simply, he is sorting out variant timelines to find out the most likely scenario.", Aminon curtly replied, gently tapping her head. "Hmmm... Like, trying to filter out unnecessary possibilities, in order to find the main continuity, or as we like to call it 'The Canon Timeline'."
Smiling at Gazeera's curious gaze, Aminon continued:
"[The Retired One] is currently tracking [The Purge], monitoring its actions. Just some necessary precautions.", she assured.
"Would Hermes be able to handle [The Purge]?", Gazeera questioned.
Aminon's smile softened as she spoke ,"That's... complicated. But, nothing for you to worry about."
"[The Purge] is getting restless.", said [The Retired One]. "He is moving towards [The Outer Sector]."
"Hermes has managed to breach into [Corzox].", Heimdall spoke, observing the invasion from afar.
"Time to intercept that Pariah.", Zeus commanded, as he telepathically communicated with Deimos. "Prepare the bait."
Deimos instructed Gazeera follow him to the elevated platform. Here, he handed Gazeera an ethereal strand.
"Hold onto this. Don't be nervous, we will keep you safe.", he assured Gazeera.
Then pointing at [The Retired One], he continued, "Just follow his instructions."
[The Retired One] ripped open a small portion of The Canon Timeline. Gazeera was gradually warped into the timeline by slowly lowering the ethereal strand. He slowly drooped into [The Rift] between realms. A domain with neatly woven spectral strands, arranged in a helical pattern.
Gazeera could hear gnarling snarls resonating from the pitch darkness, an unnerving feeling that something was slithering around him.
"Use your innate nature.", [The Retired One] instructed Gazeera.
A mysterious mark appeared over his forehead, resembling a hanged man.
[[Frames]:
Anxious and alert, Gazeera approached a hollow wooden door. He nudged it a bit. The door opened as he cautiously entered the room. It looked like a prison. Domed and sturdy. At the center lay a dragon adorned with resplendent and magnificent gold scales, a luscious red mane. He looked like a wraith, translucent. Chained, with his neck restrained by a barbed collar.
He rose his head facing Gazeera. Gazeera froze in his tracks, as the Dragon's spectral eyes stared down at him.
The Dragon said, "Release me."]
This vision resonated within [The Rift], illuminating the domain from darkness. There were huge serpent scales coiling beneath Gazeera.
"RRAAAAARRNNGHH!!!", a tremendous roar echoed across the desolate space, as a viciously ferocious Golden Draconian cloud was approaching from afar at an exceptional speed.
The Major Deities, namely Zeus, Hades and Heimdall, promptly descended into [The Rift], directly confronting [The Purge]. They attempted to restrain this wild calamity, preventing the draconian cloud from reaching [The Outer Sector].
Meanwhile, Deimos firmly tugged at the ethereal strand, carefully pulling Gazeera out of that domain. [The Purge] missed him by a mark, as Zeus and the rest properly encircled it.
Zeus barricaded the mad beast, with his thunderous might and vicious lightning. He took on a corporeal form fusing into [The Purge] disrupting its ethereal cloud like structure. Successfully trapping that monster inside a shroud of storm.
Hades ripped into the space around him summoning dark chains from [Erebos] impaling [The Purge] and anchoring it from all directions. The chains gradually began dragging the Draconian beast closer into maws of the realm of [Erebos].
Heimdall nimbly approached the wild calamity. He casually circled around [The Purge] avoiding its Spectral Strands lashing out at him. Clenching his fist, he banged it against the head of the calamity. Firmly clasping its head, Heimdall gradually started controlling the erratic motion of [The Purge].
"RRRAAAAANNRRGHH!!!", [The Purge] mindlessly roared with furstration. Furiously lashing out at the Deities suppressing him.
"Good... Good...", Zeus' voice boomed with satisfaction. "You already know the drill, don't provoke 'him' too much. Keep 'him' invested in the fight."
Hades and Heimdall quietly nodded in agreement, as they continued cornering [The Purge].
[The Purge] on the other hand continued its mindless rampage, erratically flying across [The Rift] with unbridled rage and frustration.
Hades callously hovered with an apathetic look in his eyes, as he coldly stared at the mad, volatile calamity-
"It's all you now, Hermes."
******** ******** ********
[The Outer Sector: Kingdom of Corzox]
[Hermes] was spiraling in the sky above, brutally ripping Varcielle apart. His eyes reflected a bored, apathetic look. Several orange disc shaped constructs circled around him. He was irked with frustration whenever he saw Varcielle's unrelenting and bloody face.
He also pondered about the handsome stranger, who he had glimpsed spying on him-
(Xyrak- Don't be confused... I just couldn't help but flatter myself? My prison gets boring...)
He continued venting his rage, frustration and boredom by pummeling Varcielle and his clones. And, as he was demolishing Varcielle, he scanned the battlefield.
[Hermes] spotted [Aerico] and [Gaki] below, [Gaki] was preparing to fight again, while [Aerico] chased after [The Jotuns]. With a malicious glint in his eyes and a vicious smile on his face, [Hermes] locked onto the withering [Jotun] armada.
BOOM!!!
Brushing off Varcielle's clones, [Hermes] began gunning after [The Jotun] armada. He quickly spanned the distance, directly appearing behind [The Jotun] armada.
"NOOOO!!!", Varcielle roared from across the battlefield, desperately chasing after [Hermes].
"RETREAT!!!", the Dragon sentinel Meliath commanded in panic, quickly ramming into [Lothaar's] ship [Skjolio].
The Rift-borne began dispersing from their formation, as they began running away from [The Jotun] armada.
[Voyage]:
But sadly, [Hermes] didn't let them escape, quickly smudging off the retreating Rift-borne from the canvas.
A whole battalion of Rift-borne was just warped and destroyed, simply purged.
At the center of all that carnage stood [Hermes], his entire being gleaming like a beacon of bright gold. Laughing elegantly... One couldn't say whether he felt joy or apathy.
[The Jotun] ships were mostly safe, [Hermes] didn't touch a single one of them. But alas, [Skjolio] was destroyed by The Dragon Sentinel Meliath.
[Lothaar] and [Halibaard] had already deboarded [Skjolio], quickly boarding onto [Naglafar] by discreetly hovering towards it.
Meliath groaned as he began retreating, only to be spotted by [Hermes].
With a broad smile on his face, [Hermes] nimbly approached Meliath impaling his heart before Meliath could react. All the while glaring at Varcielle with mockery and disdain.
Varcielle momentarily stopped, his eyes widened, his arms trembling, overwhelmed with grief and shock.
[Hermes] casually crushed Meliath's heart, dropping his cold body to the ground below. Meliath's cold body was engulfed by spectral flames, dissolving into the space around.
"MELIATH!!!", Varcielle roared in dismay, as charged at [Hermes], mad with rage.
The Dragon Sentinel Balrog was shook. He felt an unnerving chill, he grew pale.
"Her- Herm- Hermes is here... HERMES IS HERE!!!", he frantically told the Dragon Sentinels Genma and Sherpa.
"Come...", Hermes smugly grinned at Varcielle, with Meliath's blood dripping from his hands he taunted Varcielle with a hand gesture.
Varcielle boiling with fury, began multiplying without restraint forming a vast horde of clones, blotting out the very sky itself. He dived at [Hermes] from above.
Meanwhile, [Gaki] lunged from below in the form of a swirling gray cloud. Pale gray spectral strands latching onto [Hermes'] feet.
"Hraaa!.. Go and handle the remaining Rift-borne and Invaders.", [Gaki] telepathically instructed [Aerico]. "I will handle [Hermes] for now."
[Aerico] grumbled but complied, promptly rushing after the remaining Rift-borne battalions and invaders.
"And, stay close by... Once we locate the [Source], you need to 'stall' [Hermes].", [Gaki] continued, as he began binding [Hermes] within his Gray fog. "It's not like we'll die, you will just go back to [HELL] after [Hermes] is done with you."
"Hmmm... Fair enough.", [Aerico] sighed.
[Hermes] simply brushed off the pale gray strands, as he started blitzing through [Gaki's] bodies, reducing them to dust.
[Gaki] continued using [Atrophy] draining material and energy from his surroundings, specifically targeting [The Jotun] armada. The outer portion of the Giant armada had nearly dissolved, the remaining Giant Admirals [Nerjil] and [Goro] could barely hold on, while [Halibaard] had cooped up inside [Naglafar].
Dragon King Varcielle viciously surrounded [Hermes] from all directions. His clones kept blasting several beams of Ethereal energy at [Hermes], swarming him with a storm of arcane destruction.
But, [Hermes] was too fast. Using the Orange disc constructs, he simply kept teleporting and blitzing through Varcielle's clones and [Gaki's] bodies.
As [Hermes] flew through the fog of pale gray strands, the strands accumulated around him. [Gaki] assimilated these strands into new bodies, immediately latching them onto [Hermes]. These bodies were bound to the gray fog.
Hence, preventing [Hermes] from leaving the fog, as the bodies would simply drag him back inside.
Varcielle discreetly flew out of the gray fog with his clones swarming [Hermes] like hornets. He never stopped cloning himself. Despite getting purged by [Hermes], his clones continued to multiply in numbers.
[Hermes] avoided the swarm of clones with extreme speed and elegance. Demolishing any clone that entered the fog with brute force. He flew close to [The Jotun] armada, maintaining a steady pace beside it.
[The Jotun] armada had switched their formation with [Naglafar] leading the charge now. [Lothaar] had deboarded the ship in order to actively help [Nerjil] and [Goro] with the remaining fleets.
Out of a total of five giant fleets, only 3 remained, namely [Mubong], [Goro] and [Junmei]. After the Giant Admiral [Junmei] perished, his fleet was assimilated into [Goro's]. [Lothaar's] fleet was dwindling, while [Mubong's] sailed strong. Giant Admiral [Phion's] was utterly destroyed, nothing was left behind.
Aboard Naglafar...
"What happened to Hrimulfr?", [Halibaard] questioned [Mubong].
"What do you think? Look around you, crackpot. Look at the decapitated heads of our brethren. After [Phion] perished, [Naglafar] was boarded by the Rift-borne, they almost hijacked the ship.", [Mubong] lied shamelessly. "I barely made it out with my life, when I returned Hrimulfr had already disappeared."
"Show me the ritual.", [Halibaard] commanded and [Mubong] complied.
[Mubong] led [Halibaard] to the arcane circuit that Hrimulfr used to perform divinations. The very circuit that had been hijacked by a foreign entity.
"The circuit seems to be working well even with his absence...", [Halibaard] mused and rejoiced. "Fate is still with us!!!"
[Mubong] just facepalmed with disbelief-
"This crackpot has gone insane, completely delusional. Even Hrimulfr realized that the ritual had been hijacked."
Meanwhile outside, Varcielle had successfully managed to encircle the gray fog. Blasting countless beams of ethereal energy at the gray fog, hoping at least one of them would hit [Hermes].
[Hermes] leisurely dodged the beams, while casually following the armada. Carefree, he was patiently waiting for [The Jotuns] to halt...
******* ******** ********
[The Outer Sector: Kingdom of Corzox]
Within an unknown sub-domain...
Akelus remained shrouded within a vicious storm of arcane carnage and magic. His senses suppressed by a dense gray fog.
His golden ring was sputtering with sparks. Inside, Xylus was experiencing extreme mental strain as he witnessed visions after visions. The young dragon child seemed to have a mysterious resonance with the realm around him.
Akelus felt numb and drowsy. His body couldn't feel a thing, his body just refused to move. He was gradually losing conscious, as his mind drifted into a forbidden memory aisle.
Memories that had shaped Akelus, memories that overwhelmed him. His emotions spiked with nostalgia, grief then anguish, as he relived those suppressed memories.
Memories of a true friend, the only one he had in his past life. A friend that was long forgotten by the world, but not by him.
"Yun?..", Akelus peered through the fog, trying to reach the man, reach his friend. But his friend kept drifting away.
"Yun!", Akelus called out, following after him. "Yun! Stop!!"
"Yun, don't go...", his voice almost gave out with the guilt bottling up in his heart.
The vision shifted to a bloody scaffold, his friend tied and readied for a public execution. Akelus was trapped in the audience, surrounded by shadows binding him in place, making him watch.
Yun's eyes were drenched with fear, mindlessly staring at Akelus, he asked-
"Why?.. Why me?..", tears welling up in his eyes.
Swish...
Off with the head, it came tumbling down from the scaffold, right below Akelus' feet. Yun's dead eyes staring at him.
"Akelus...", the head called out.
"Akelus...", it called out again.
"Akelus, please WAKE UP!!!"
The vision blurred and disappeared. Akelus found Xylus desperately tugging at him-
"Huh?"
"Oh, thank the Golden Scion... You finally woke up.", Xylus smiled with relief.
"What are you doing out here, kid?", Akelus questioned.
"Well... I believe that I was forcibly pulled out of your ring, at least it felt like that", Xylus chimed brightly. "I was struck with visions, a lot of them. One of them guided..."
"Visions you say?..", Akelus zoned out for a bit.
"Did you say something?", Xylus asked.
Akelus sighed, as he began suppressing those memories-
"No... nothing."
###### ###### ######