Location: Planet Elaris – Northern Sanctuary Temple Grounds
Three Days Later....
The bells of the Northern Temple rang hollow, their once-soothing tone now corrupted by silence. The last civilian had been quietly escorted off-world under the pretense of mana contamination. Only Church loyalists remained that were battle-hardened warriors in white and gold, their armor gleaming under false serenity.
The sanctuary had become a trap.
Archbishop Virell stood atop the temple's spire, overlooking the forested valleys. The wind carried faint whispers of the divine, but her ears were attuned to something else.... distortion. Mana was shifting. The air below her trembled.
"They're here."
Below, disguised paladins patrolled as if nothing were amiss. Dozens of Bishops and elite Deacons lay in wait beneath the sanctified earth. Hidden runes shimmered with killing intent. The Archangels lay dormant with the lower catacombs, ready to unleash sanctified wrath should the moment arise.
The bait had been taken.
Elsewhere, on the outskirts of the city ruins…
The shadows peeled back like smoke.
A squad of Covenant operatives emerged from the Kumon, masked, cloaked, silent. At their center walked Achlys, fingers twitching with anticipation. She motioned to her right, where Montgomery limped forward, cane tapping against rock with haunting rhythm.
"No mana readings in the outer fields," she said quietly. "Either the Church evacuated or they're masking."
Montgomery's cane tapped once.
"Both."
He turned, gazing toward the temple.
"They've prepared. Good. Would be a shame to break an empty house."
Behind them, the Covenant's first strike group spread across the landscape. Each wore the markings of the new generation ready for their skirmish against the church. Tattooed runes, mana-infused blades, elemental catalysts attuned to dark magic freshly smuggled from Noxis' vaults. These weren't just cultists anymore.
They were soldiers.
"Movement confirmed."
Bishop Tiran stood over a luminous scrying pool, mana threads extending from his fingers as he manipulated the surveillance net. "Covenant presence entering the perimeter. Four squads. No major signature yet."
Archbishop Virell didn't blink. "They're testing us."
"Shall I initiate the purge?"
"No. Let them believe they've slipped past us. I want the leader. We don't crush the snake's tail. We strike the fangs."
A Church patrol made up of three paladins walked through the southern courtyard, their faces stoic beneath golden visors. Then the wind shifted. With just a whisper and the briefest of flashes, one of the paladins fell, blood spraying across the marble floor.
Achlys emerged from the mist like a blade of inevitability. Her second strike paralyzed the next paladin before he could even shout. The third barely raised his weapon before being disarmed and gutted.
The courtyard alarms flared.
Mana flared across the skyline. Magic towers lit up in response.
"Engagement confirmed!" Bishop Meredy's voice boomed through the comm-rings. "All squads to position! Do not reveal the Archangels unless the Covenant sends their leader!"
Western Garden – Midnight Covenant Response
Gerald arrived through another Kumon, followed by two dozen elite Covenant warriors. His expression was amused, as if he'd been invited to a duel.
"Subtle," he remarked, watching Church troops scramble from hidden bunkers. "But predictable."
Mana spread through his chest into his arms and down to his feet as he swelled in size. His voice boomed as he spoke,
"By His belief," he whispered, "let us crush the gate."
The ground shattered beneath his feet as he lunged forward, his fist smashing through light magic wards like they were glass. The Church defenders tried to form a shield wall, but the moment Gerald struck, dark magic swelled, leaving a shock wave. His belief turned to reality.
Their wall crumbled.
Upper Chamber – Church Counterstrike
In response to Gerald's presence, Virell finally issued the command.
"Activate Construct Six. Seal the southern sanctum. Redirect Bishop Tiran to intercept the dark knight. If that fails, we deploy."
Below the temple, hidden vaults cracked open.
A Sanctioned Archangel, eight meters tall and inscribed with scripture-laced armor, emerged from beneath the stone, its face an empty mask of judgment. Wings made of hard light flared behind it.
Meanwhile – Mid-Aerial Skirmish
Above the temple, an alarm resounded and lights focused on an object falling from the sky. Lenatti's summoned bear dropped down into the center of a Church mage squad.
The moment the bear landed, panic spread.
"Fear spreads," Lenatti whispered, sitting cross-legged behind a boulder. Her eyes glowed purple. "And now... he watches."
Fear clawed into the soldiers' minds. And in the shadow of the bear, mana stirred. Nidhogg hadn't arrived.
Not yet.
But the Church could feel his presence approaching.