Ascension of the Nephilim

At Martha's command, both Stellya and Faye began to launch magic attacks at the massive dome.

But instead of powerful attacks, the pair only shot out magic through their scepters.

The beams struck and created a ripple throughout the side where the attacks struck. But the attacks of the Champions could not do anything else.

"What are they doing?" The Shade Lord laughed.

"They are probably testing the strength of the Dark Dome. After all, they only have so much attack."

"Darako. Spread the darkness closer. We need to listen to what they plan." The Cardinal ordered.

"Yes, my lord." The Shade Lord bowed.

The dark dome began to scatter a strange dark mist that grew wider slowly. The layer of darkness spread out and moved closer to them.

"I wonder what they plan to do?" The Shade Lord wondered and was able to move the darkness closer that they could hear the discussion of Martha and her team.

"What a weak shield. You just shot a small and look. It's dissipating!" Martha shook her head.

"Indeed. I guess the Commanders that are alive aren't much. They must have sent the strong ones first. Except for that Wyvern Commander, I'm guessing that the Shade Lord that Lord Kyros told us about is too weak now. He did receive that twenty-percent beam of the Temple."

"Yeah. Keep shooting to dissipate that dome. The weak shade lord may die from running out of darkness."

"YOU IMBECILES!" The booming voice of the Shade Lord erupted.

The massive shout caused the group of four to panic, and they fled.

"Hurry! Runaway!" Martha shouted.

"I don't want to die!" Gojirrah shouted, and the two champions were shouting in high pitch voices.

The angry shout was so strong that the area trembled.

"Darako... Be quiet!" Neteri cursed as she opened her eyes. The sudden shout of Shade Lord had broken her concentration.

"I am trying to find the souls of Commanders and require no disturbances!" Neteri shouted.

The Shade Lord wanted to shout more, but Neteri was right. Reviving the Commander's took precedence over his dignity.

"Relax, Darako. Those idiots are too useless that they didn't know we could hear them.

The pitiful retreat of the four began to slow down.

"What was that?!" Gojirrah asked.

"I don't know. Was it the Cardinal?" Faye asked.

"That's probably it! The defense of that dome is too weak that our attack began to destroy it and the Cardinal got mad at his team." Stellya answered.

Darako was fuming mad but contained the urge to shout as he saw Neteri concentrating once more and began to chant. The Cardinal had also closed his eyes and chanted the ritual of bringing back the soul of a Commander.

"I see! So he got mad at the incompetent Commanders and shouted!"

"But that wasn't the sound of the Necromancer. I recognize his voice. It was a voice that I will never forget..." Martha began to recollect how the Necromancer caught her.

"It's not the Cardinal? Are you sure? Maybe the Cardinal is speaking through another form!"

"That's right. The Dragon, the Crab commander, didn't they all have the abilities to transform into a massive creature?"

"No! I'm sure that it's not the Cardinal! Even if he assumes a monstrous form, I will never forget the sound of that horrifying voice!" Martha argued.

"He held me close and made perverted declarations that made me tremble in fear."

"Then, what did the Cardinal sound like?"

"He sounded like a walrus."

BOOM!

A massive Force of energy erupted within the Dome and caused the four to retreat even further in fear.

"Lo-Lord Heralcus! Please... the spell!" Neteri panicked. Her efforts were nearly lost at the anger of the Cardinal. The two of them were working together to initiate the resurrection.

"Qara! Kill them!" Cardinal Heralcus ignored Neteri's pleas and issued a command.

"As you will!" Qara immediately flew out.

Seeing the Wyvern, the group panicked and retreated.

"It's the Wyvern!"

"Quick! Tell Lord Kyros that she's out! Tell him to shoot! Forty Percent power of the Temple will eradicate that Wyvern!"

"I will! Activate the marker!" Martha shouted as she held out a Core.

"Qara! Retreat!" Commander Heralcus ordered. He was afraid of losing yet another Commander, and although it sounded like a boast, Haralcus could not afford a gamble and issued a retreat. He prepared the Dark Dome and hid inside to ensure the revival of the other Commanders. He knew that he shouldn't be sidetracked.

Qara quickly retreated.

"Oh no! She retreated! Our plan!" Faye called out as she saw the dragon retreat.

"Why did she come out? Could it be?" Stellya asked.

"Yes. It's the only logical explanation." Martha added.

The Shade Lord shook his head. The immediate retreat of Qara easily revealed the fact that his powers were allowing him to hear everything that the four talked about.

Even the Cardinal was frowning. Qara's retreat was also too sudden. She only realized it when she entered the dome. 

"I made it too obvious! Now they know that we could hear them!" Qara cursed. The power of darkness that allowed them to hear was one of their aces. And it was immediately revealed.

"It's not a coincidence. The angry shout, that tremendous force that could only belong to the Cardinal, and the wyvern's retreat. It's easy to determine what happened."

"Right!" Faye affirmed..

"Hmm. That wyvern is afraid of me. I already hit her once, and that attack left a trauma on her! She's afraid of me! The Cardinal must have ordered her to attack, but she didn't want to! So her fellow Commander called her an imbecile!"

"Right! But she didn't do anything, and then another Commander got mad and released his aura, and that made the Wyvern finally move out!"

"But when she saw me bring out the Light Core, she got scared and retreated! Hemp! But a wise choice! Had she flapped her chicken wings a few more times, with my aim and lord Kyros's attack, she'd be fried gizzard. Or, in this case, fried lizard!" Martha declared.

"Lady Martha... I'm a lizard too." Gojirrah reminded.

"Er... sorry, Gojirrah. She would be a fried newt!"

"Right. A fried newt! But that dragon commander was a tasty newt..." Gojirrah sighed.

"Yeah. I can't believe that pepper works great on it!"

"Too bad we didn't bring our special home spices..."

"Isn't there still a large chunk left?"

"Lord Kyros is preparing it for our victory party. Maybe if we get out of this place, we can try those spices! I can't wait! Facing a dragon seemed worth the trouble! That Crab meat is also good!"

Qara shouted angrily, and she assumed her full wyvern form and prepared to launch a massive breath attack at the four. The discussion of how her beloved became a delightful snack to pitiful creatures fa inferior to her race drove her mad.

"Qara! It's a trap! Calm yourself! They are clearly taunting us!" The Cardinal cursed and raised his hands, and blueish-white chains appeared near Qara and bound her.

As the tremors inside the dark dome resounded once more, the four began to move further and further and were beyond the dark mist that enshrouded the place.

"Let's retreat. We need to report what we found to Lord Kyros. This dome and this strange dark mist will ruin our plans. We expected them to be ready to attack, but who would have thought that they shell themselves up in that dome-like turtles. We will be wasting energy here. Let's go back to the portal!" Martha ordered.

And the group flew out and went to the distance.

Back inside the dome, the angry wyvern continued to thrash about, and even Neteri cursed and attacked Qara for disrupting her meditation.

As the group retreated, Kyros, who had been flying to meet them, felt it. The calls of the souls had weakened. His Greater Soul Resistance was not only good for resisting soul attacks. It was more sensitive in soul magic.

"Great job, Martha! You delayed the ritual!" Kyros praised and sent a message in the chat group.