Ascension of the Nephilim

Earldom.

The words that Kyros said were majestic music to the ears of everyone.

"And I even haven't told my family yet..." Diana chuckled.

"I wonder how dad would feel now that we are already part of an Earldom?" Myas laughed as she asked Martha.

"This is just the beginning. We should aim to be dukes in the Highlands at the very least! Mezal laughed

The group was all admiring the powerful weapons and armor they had.

The five champions would have laughed at this claim. When Mezal revealed a Champion's potential, he was still far from becoming an Earl. Moving from Baron to Viscount was already hard. Unless one becomes a hero or has the support of another Earl, the chances of that happening in the Lowland in the past hundred years were so low.

But now, the power of Mezal was already comparable to an actual Earl!

"Do you like the gift? I control those items and will be lending it to you for now." Kyros laughed as he pointed to the five scepters.

The Temple placed the five Scepter of the Elements in front before the Champions. It was as if Fate was telling them to use it. But, of course, Kyros could control the Temple to move and store these items at will.

"What happened?! Every knights and servant of the Steele family have new weapons! And those weapons are- are..." Demerus pointed to the gear that Scarlet was toying with. Those were Champion-level weapons! And to make matters even more amazing, Scarlet was holding a scepter that only captain mages used.

"Knights and Servants? Are you calling Scarlet a knight? Or are you calling her a servant? Please call them according to their titles. She is a Captain."

Scarlet smiled as she heard this.

"It's nice to be praised by Lord Kyros." She smiled and muttered to Mechiel, who was nearby.

"I may be just dreaming... But I really like Lord Kyros." Scarlet sighed and confessed to Mechiel.

"Oh... You-you do?" Mechiel was amazed.

"Yes." Scarlet smiled.

"You think... It's possible?" She asked.

"I... don't know. I mean... you are a former noble..."

"So... So you think it's possible?!"

"What is that girl doing?" Branze asked Diana as he noticed the strange talk.

"That...! It's a most ancient and powerful tactic that women employ to prevent potential love rivals. Whenever we have a potential rival who our crush likes, we approach this rival and manipulate her to be our friend."

"What?" Branze was amazed.

"It's a rather cruel tactic. But as my friends would say, all is fair in love and war. This rival who our crushes like would then be manipulated to deflect or avoid our crush due to our bonds. An even crueler version of this is when the girl will ask her rival to vow or promise to help her."

"That's a thing?!" Branze was amazed.

"It's effective. Scarlet is already at a disadvantage since our son clearly likes Mechiel. I'm not sure who to support. I do respect the choices our son makes, but Scarlet is a good girl."

"I noticed that too. But Kyros's reaction... It's like love at first sight?" Branze couldn't help but blush.

Diana blushed as well.

While love and subterfuge were occurring within the Temple, Mezal approached the Champions who Kyros talked to about the Earldom.

"Fellow Earls, Good day." Mezal laughed as he approached. He held a shield and a sword that was clearly a part of a set. Both weapons were Champion level. It was very, very extravagant for a Champion to have two weapons that were Champion ranked. Most Champions use their Captain ranked weapon and only use their Champion ranked weapons on a certain crisis.

"Champions of the Emberdon clan, allow me to introduce to you the current Champions and Captains of the Steele Family! Kyros, you underestimated. We now have the power of an Earl. We skipped the Viscount stage." Mezal laughed.

Kyros laughed as well.

Everyone but the five Champions of the Emberdon clan were laughing in joy at the amazing weapons and the increase of their level.

The five Champions were starting to grow more and more shocked at the capabilities of the Temple.

While there were envious talks as some received better equipment, everyone was happy that the Steele family was now equipped for whatever would come.

"Hey, Calaminus. Fate is quite generous here. Those Champion weapons look strong." Kyros called out to Calaminus.

"THE FRAGMENT?!" Calaminus exclaimed.

"Calaminus?"

"Those rewards! Those five weapons! Those weapons that Mezal, Branze, Aron, Martha, and Diana have aren't ordinary! Those are Champion Ranked Weapons of Legacy!"

"Weapons of Legacy?"

"Those weapons are like your Cloak of Darkness or the Sword of Ten Thousand Grudges! They grow stronger and stronger! Right now, those weapons are just Champion ranked. But it even has a greater potential than your weapons! Because the Legacy of those weapons is from Gods!"

"True Steel Legacy... The sword of Uncle and the shield that father has... Are they weapons made by Hyperion Steel?"

"No. It's his son who made it. The Ancient God created a weapon to contain his father's ability. The inventor of the first Sword. The Great Blacksmith of the Heavens, Mettalon Steel! But he named those two weapons the True Steel Legacy because they contained all of his legacy! This was his last work! The Sword of Steel and the Shield of Steel that your grandfather carried is a set. It was the second to the last artifact that he created. He bestowed it to his brother. But that weapon was lost during the Heretic Wars at the death of Gannaios Steel!"

"What of the Bow? Branch of Bow doesn't seem like a formidable name."

"Bow Veiyos. An Ancient God was gifted with the power of travel. She was born to cross the gap and separation that Hyperion and Kyriachos created. At the beginning of creation, she took a branch from the Tree of Life and shot an arrow that crossed the void! That created the concept of travel."

"That's the bow?! It's the branch?" Kyros was now shocked.

"I don't know! If it is, it would be too awesome! Besides, Bow Veiyos is still alive! She is one of the reasons that the Greater Gods and the Fallen have not prevailed yet! The moment any Fallen or Greater God reaches a certain distance from the final fortress of my allies, they die. Bow Vieyos can shoot you across several galaxies!"

"So, what is she using now?"

"She was crafted a new bow which is stronger. We know that her current weapon is the bow called Distance which encompasses the power of space itself! But the first weapon she used to shoot her power was long gone! Branch of Bow sounds like that very weapon!" 

Kyros was so amazed that he was actually afraid. Such powerful weapons in his hands would spell danger! What if these weapons were recognized?

"And Katara's Burden?" Kyros took a deep breath and asked about the last item.

"I know that Katara is either a God or a Fallen... but my memories.... can't seem to remember who she is!" Calaminus revealed.