[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] | [@Archangel89] - [color=black][b]Iarus[/b][/color] [b][/b][/sub] [hr][/center] The beam of light confidently shone through the darkness, quickly making it's way towards the spire. With such power, it should've clearly shattered it upon impact and leaving the god of light victorious over darkness again. So imagine when Hyperion and his men looked on to see that it was harmlessly reflected by the black glossy surface and speed effortlessly into the night. There was a slight pause as the golden-plated god looked on with inquiry, followed by an overwhelming sense of dread that fell upon the entire army of light. The fear fog wouldn't have needed to penetrate them anymore to fill them with fright, for this on it's own was most heretically a rare occurrence. The angelic soldiers were already beginning to panic. [color=f7941d][b]"I-It didn't go through?"[/b][/color] angel Aeneas asked shockingly as he gripped his spear in his hands. [color=aba000][b]"Unbelievable..."[/b][/color] Develius breathed appallingly as his eyes widened, [color=aba000][b]"No form of darkness could've deflected a blast of that caliber!"[/b][/color] [color=fff200][b]"This is an outrage!"[/b][/color] another angel shouted in the back, beginning a clamor as all the other angels tried to figure out what was going on. Hyperion definitely couldn't have believed it himself. That should've disrupted the darkness right there and then. After all, darkness is naturally disrupted by light itself. How could it have just bounced off so effortlessly? Really there was only one answer for this. Whatever this dark matter was made of, it wasn't just darkness alone that was powering it. Perhaps, and dare he admits it aloud, Oao did have some merit to her claim regarding this spire. If she was utterly repulsed by this, chances are that her opposite other would eventually have trouble himself. But that wasn't the end of it. The twin strands that circled the spire began to recede back into it, as if they were sucked in by something. One could've seen this as finally the end of this madness, but unfortunately for the optimistic, it would certainly not be so. Forming on top of the spire, Hyperion could see a familiar face. And that face utterly terrified him. [color=black][b][i]”Greetings dear brothers and sisters, allow me to introduce myself... I am Iarus, the God of Fear…"[/i][/b][/color] So he didn't retreat as Oao's visions claimed after all. He somehow was able to masquerade his appearance and through some power-struggle he threw out his old title of Deception and turned himself into the embodiment of Fear. Hyperion never liked him in the first place, but he would've at least been able to deal with him affectively if need be. Now as he harbingers fear within him, this threat was already beyond heresy itself. The angels behind him stood as firm as they could, but they were rattling in their boots, their wings rustling, and their eyes watering. They were fearful for what would happen next. Suddenly, the bubble failed for a short few seconds, bombarding the God of Light and his forces momentarily in their worse fears. A montage of the horrid crusade flashed in Hyperion's mind, followed by the darkness corrupting everything it touches - every man, woman, child, angel, and everything in between. It was vile and ruthlessly chaotic. The protective bubble would eventually reclaim it's position and shield them once again from the rapturing fear essence, but it's already became clear to Hyperion for what he must do. Their will to brave the darkness has been broken. [b][color=fff79a]"This is no ordinary darkness..."[/color][/b] the armored-God proclaims ominously, [b][color=fff79a]"We've heavily underestimated this substance in it's entirety. The God of Deception has become fear incarnate, with his abilities more vile then the last. No one would've been prepared for this."[/color][/b] The ground below them began to tumble and churn wildly as the aura finally began to recede. Whilst this would've been a sure morale booster for a more oblivious army, the army of light would be foolish to continue descending towards the black spire. [b][color=fff79a]"Make haste towards higher ground."[/color][/b] Hyperion orders bluntly, [b][color=fff79a]"We cannot engage the spire nor the reincarnated Iarus in our current state."[/color][/b] Upon his permission, he blesses the angels with their own temporary bubbles, lasting just enough for them to get out of it's radius. They would all fly away from the void and head towards the nearest mountain, perching themselves on the cliff edges and regaining their bearings. They would not retreat back to Terratoria just yet, but if the spire wouldn't halt in it's current state, it would be fruitless to continue advancing forward. But as they left the shadows, they would fail to see an [url=http://pm1.narvii.com/6951/33bed4fb71934cb2d8574650151484fd59f62968r5-686-1024_00.jpg]armored figure[/url] who also happens to be slowly heading out of the spire's radius as well. [hr] [center][img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjEwNi43MDcwNzAuVG1WeWNHeGhaM1ZwY3csLC4wAAAA/almendra.regular.png[/img][/center] [hr] [color=a9a9a9][b]~ Present[/b][/color] Lurking within the woodland hills, the God of Disease was watching the entire event carefully. He happened to be walking in this area around the time the spire erected from the ground and, upon briefly putting his head into the radius, soon realized what he was dealing with. And it gave him an idea... a very nasty idea at that. For that to be achieved, he quickly opened a portal back to his lab and pushed out one of his vile plague sentinels. These mindless automatons would be perfectly capable in braving the horrid void, their personalities and emotions being virtually sucked out prior to activation. They do not know fear, nor pain, nor pleasure or happiness. Nerplaguis sent one out into the void and waited for it's return, having witnessed Hyperion's fruitless attempt in shattering the spire and the birth of the God of Fear. For him, this was quite the spectacle. And then the hulking sentinel began stomping out of the void, rattling with every step as it's blade continued seething in decay and sickness, whilst holding a glowing lantern in its other hand. Nerplaguis watched with glee as his servant brought back just what he needed. He grabs ahold of the lantern and very carefully opens up one of the glass panels. He would find himself momentarily feeling a frightful vision of a certain giant crab before quickly closing the lantern shut. Instead of feeling more dread however, he began to chuckle ominously once more. [color=a9a9a9][b]"Ho ho!"[/b][/color] he chuckles gleefully, [color=a9a9a9][b]"This would make a valuable asset to my next project... hehe, they won't know what'll hit them!"[/b][/color] And with that, he proceeds to make another portal back to his laboratory. He'll need to begin experimenting with this substance immediately.