[hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/BiuJRNR.png[/img] [sub][@Dealdric] - [color=#9400D3]Dirka[/color] | [@Legion02] - [color=ed1c24][b]Arch-Dragons & Friends[/b][/color][/sub] [/center] [hr] As the flaming god's wrath left the smoldering area, a new feeling would suddenly take its place. The bitter air begins to chill the surrounding area and smothered out any remnants of fiery rage left behind by Ragnagedon. If Dirka had remained within the battlefield for just a little longer, she would've bore witness to the mighty golden wings that emerged from the spiraling clouds above. Drakairós had followed the scent of their fiery brother for the past hour and were hot on his pursuit. However, they were not alone in their endeavor. Behind their radiant form, four other dragons emerged from the clouds behind him, screeching and howling with a ghastly grimace, as they followed their new master to battle. They bore the frame of Raganagedon's Verzakian dragons, but at the same time looked very much to be different entities. Their bodies surged in blue energy and their newborn spines became crystalized into place. No longer do they bear the fiery essence of their original master's flame. No longer did their eyes glow in wrathful fury. No longer do they even breathe fire. Thanks to Seviand's help, the two gods had created a new race to challenge the fire dragons. The [color=6ecff6]ice dragons[/color] were on the rise. For the previous hour, since the God of Ice departed, the God of Weather and their "son" had been out purging other fire dragons within the nearby area and freeing them from being Ragnagedon's slaves. The battles were intensely fierce, with the three headed hydra fiercely protecting his creations as if they were his own children, making sure that none would perish to their blazing fires. Upon subduing the fire dragons, Drakairós would leave the "purification process" to their antithesis, who effectively replaced Seviand as they blessed them within a cold embrace. It was difficult at first, considering they were still perfecting the process, but they all caught on quickly. They were only able to find three more fire dragons before they caught wind of Ragnagedon's essence coming from elsewhere. But as they approached the area, they could quickly tell that the Fire God was nowhere to be seen. [b]"Where is this rage-inducing nut-case..."[/b] growls Rós as he observes the battlefield below, [b]"We're going to show him the~"[/b] He'd pause briefly as he detects several fire dragons down below. Yet upon closer inspection, it would seem as if they were all frozen in place. Not frozen as if they were frozen in ice, but rather they simply just stood there like airborne statues. [b]"Oh? Well this is interesting."[/b] he chuckles gleefully, [b]"Stuck in place and unable to run. The perfect opportunity to purify them, don't we say?"[/b] [b][color=fff200]"Indeed."[/color][/b] answered Dra as they make their way down to the frost-covered ground. As the dragons land, the golden hydra waddled his way in between the frozen fire dragons in place. As they looked at them closely through the howling blizzard, they could only see their eyes following their every movement. Their joints were locked in place, yet their eyes and mind were still very much aware. [color=f26522][b]"You poor, poor, things!"[/b][/color] hissed Kai with a cackle in his breath, [color=f26522][b]"You should be destroying everything around you not standing around like dumb pieces of goat shit!"[/b][/color] As they continued observing the others, Rós quickly issued several guttural chuckles towards the ice dragons, who lifted their heads to listen at what their new master has to say. They instantly recognized what it meant. Quickly, three of the dragons approached their respected fire dragon and began to purify them through their cold breath. The three would soon join the growing army after a mere minute of rapid exposure. Yet as the Hydra and the remaining ice dragon approached the last two figures, they soon realized that these were no ordinary fire dragons. They were somewhat larger than the others, their very skin bursting in a fiery red blaze, and their claws and horns were sharper and more prominent on their bodies. Their essence alone was already way more prominent, surely representing alpha leaders of the pack. [b]"Such power... such strength..."[/b] cooed Rós as he carefully inspects their powerful frame, [b]"The perfect candidates for our growing army."[/b] Another guttural growl commanded the last ice dragon to attempt purifying it, as it slowly approached the paralyzed dragon. [b][color=fff200]"Make haste with the operation."[/color][/b] Dra replied hastily, [b][color=fff200]"The longer we remain here, the less time we have in chasing down Ragnagedon. Or worse, he might even~"[/color][/b] [center] [hider=A Draconic Storm] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7L_QN8SPLI[/youtube] [/hider] [/center] Just then they could hear the faint sound of screeching coming from the south. Curious, Drakairós turned their heads to the direction of the noise, listening closely from what's approaching from within the clouds. It was the unmistakable sound of incoming fire dragons and all three heads began issuing a toothy grin. More units will be approaching their cause. Yet the more they listened, they soon heard the noise to become louder and more chaotic. Their grins began to falter as they became genuinely more concerned. This wasn't the sound of one or two dragons. When they finally showed up, the God of Weather saw a massive swarm of these dragons coming their way. [b][color=f26522]"Oh lookie lookie!"[/color][/b] cooed Kai with upmost glee, [b][color=f26522]"Here comes the grand cavalry to avenge their fallen comrades! I smell a delicious slaughter coming our way!"[/color][/b] Dra and Rós wouldn't share the same enthusiasm however. [b][color=fff200]"They've brought reinforcements."[/color][/b] Dra said ominously. [b]"Shouldn't they be going after their Fire God leader?"[/b] Rós asked curiously, before suddenly realizing something. He turns around to see the two large dragons beginning to shake violently in place. [b]"Oh. Never mind, I think we know the answer..."[/b] [hr] [center][img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjgwLmRkZGNhMS5TSGx3WlhKcGIyNCwuMAAA/jmh-holy-bible.regular.png[/img] [sub][@A Lowly Wretch] - [color=black][b]Oao[/b][/color] | [@ReusableSword] - [b][color=007236]Naswaru[/color][/b] | [@Archangel89] - [color=lightblue][b]Iarus[/b][/color] | [@Lord Zee] - [color=maroon][b]Anu'Varr[/b][/color] [b][/b][/sub] [hr][/center] As the radiating god slowly makes his way through the cascading darkness and fear, Hyperion would suddenly find himself being hailed by the one person he despises. While his curiosity lingers towards the direction of where Oao's voice came from, he made no plans to stop his advance forward. The men behind him could also hear the strange voice from what seemed to be coming from everywhere. If only they knew that she lurked right within their shadow... The voice claims to have no part of the spire's erection, something the vainful God of Light doesn't believe in for one second. [b][color=fff79a]"Yet the darkness here swirls around like a runaway plague."[/color][/b] he booms vocally, [b][color=fff79a]"What plans do you have lurking beneath it's morbid surface?"[/color][/b] Oao would then give him a vision into the eyes of three other gods that had braved the darkness of fear momentarily, before all forced themselves to escape its corrupting grasp. The first vision he saw belonged to Anu'Varr, the heretical Goddess of Devilry. At first, it seemed that she laughed within the basking gloaming of within the darkness, even as her appearance began to change with her hair greying, her eyes turning a dark crimson, her horns sharpening, and her hysteric laughing growing ever more. Yet her laughter soon turned into horrifying screams of pain and agony, fearing for her life, as she seemed to wither away from the growing void. He then found himself within the vision of Naswaru, the honorable God of the Hunt. He tried speaking to the darkness, in a hopeless attempt to call for Oao's guidance. His form too began to shift and transform into a horrifying half-man, half-draconian abomination, as he reeled in utter torment before he too fled from the void. The last person he found himself seeing was that of Iarus, the slithering God of Deception. He seemed to also revel in this fear, similarly to Anu herself. But like all the others, he too was forced to dive out of this hell and recalculate his strategies. Oao's voice would then return to Hyperion once more warning him about the consequences he risks for staying in this vile darkness. If he stays, this vile substance will consume him too. He too shall recount for all his fears and phobias, just like the others who had fallen before him. These gods, like him, were curious about the origins of this spire and what purpose it served and, through their curiosity, they were afraid of what they've seen. Yet there was one they all seemed to lack, or overlook, one crucial element that they should've kept in mind when approaching the void. The will to face and overcome their worst fears. [center] [hider=Marching Forward] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQpwptNmRMc[/youtube] [/hider] [/center] Hyperion had faced his fears countless of times through his endeavors of the Old Crusades, even till prior to this event. In the long battles between his divine shining light, against the vile gloaming darkness, he had ruthlessly slain all forms of heretical obstacles all in order to eradicate his opposing opposite. Yet no matter how much corrupted blood he shed, no matter how many heretics he slain, darkness always was one step ahead of him. In his slumbers, he had come witness to countless nightmares of his antithesis swallowing up the entire realm of Tabrasa and ultimately drowning it in a pool of shadow. He saw his men being corrupted in horrifying methods and turning into a corrupted mirror image of himself. A slave of darkness, with armor black as void, leathery brown wings tattered like those of a dragons, long twirling horns rising above his helmet, and his eyes burning red in fury, all as they attempt to uproot at all his achievements in peace and order into a world of tyranny and chaos. For centuries has he bore this fear of darkness taking over everything he valued. Yet it wouldn't be until years after his last crusade did the God of Light began to slowly understand of his purpose within this realm. He, along with his comrades, forced himself to understand the fact that he will not be able to eradicate every single portion of darkness upon the land. His duty is not to paint the entire world in light, but rather to maintain it and eliminate those who oppose it. Because without darkness, there would be no light. By all means does he heavily dislike this thought. He hates it with all of his guts, his unchallenged vanity always trying to tell him that it's wrong. But yet he's forced to accept for what it is. Even as he finds himself reliving these nightmares as the darkness punctures briefly into his divine shield, and even as his men began to grow slightly fearful of their predicament, he keeps the fact that as long as he stands - as long as he holds dominion over his god-given power of light - he will stand strong against all who oppose him. He will be the flame that will light the world's darkest hour. [b][color=fff79a]"No."[/color][/b] he pronounces confidently towards Oao as he hastens his advance. As his light grows ever brighter, Hyperion can vaguely see the outline of the spire through the thick fog of darkness. The source of this madness was still somewhat far, but certainly not out of reach. Yet the chaos continued to intensify the deeper he went. The world started to seemingly collapse right before his very eyes, the crater descending deeper and deeper into the center of the earth, swallowing everything into the void below. Even the spire began to slowly crumble by the tip, and whilst Hyperion couldn't see this with his own eyes, he could feel like the climax of this event was drawing near. If he failed to stop this creation now, the world would be at great risk within it's fearful mercy. The God would then stop deep within the chaos spiraling around him and look up at the spire with meaningful attempt to halt its ominous advance. He looks back at his mortified men, loosing their minds over this anarchic atmosphere, yet as long as they basked within the divine radiance of their god, they bravely pushed on. It was the perfect time for a short moral-boosting speech. [b][color=fff79a]"Brothers."[/color][/b] his imperatively thunderous voice echoed through the heads of the angels and the howling darkness, [b][color=fff79a]"Hear me and hear me well. We've marched within the depths of chaos. Surrounded all sides by the fear and despair that threatens to deconstruct what it means to be an Angel of Light. Yet your training has prepared you for this very moment. You've molded your mind and body to become the best warriors the realm has ever seen. A warrior who acts out of courage and seeks out honor cannot fail. Darkness will never prevail against us, never shall we fear it, no matter how hard it attempts to."[/color][/b] The god slowly raises his golden lance, pointing it's shining blade straight towards the spire itself. [b][color=fff79a]"You are soldiers of Light."[/color][/b] he chants as a shimmering light begins charging from the blade's tip, [b][color=fff79a]"You are the fist that smashes with the force of a Legion. You are the blade that pierces through heresy's hide, no matter how thick. You are the radiant dawn that mortals look up to every morning, the light that provides them hope. With courage and honor, you cannot fail. You will not fail. And you will push on till your last breath."[/color][/b] The light begins to glow steadily brighter and bright until it reached it's maximum charge. [b][color=fff79a]"For you are the end to all who stand against the light of truth and justice. Let none dispute your ranks, as Harbingers of light!"[/color][/b] And just like that, a beam of purifying light bursts from the lance's tip, puncturing through the darkness like a knife through butter as it speeds towards the spire in an attempt to cease this madness once and for all. May the gods prove his efforts to be fruitful.