The moon shone bright in the midnight sky, illuminating this world of warriors once again.
The now scorched forest of Gomen trembled with fear from Grim'Loks upcoming trials and the approaching Noctis soldiers.
Near the southern rim of Azunne stood a scorched basin; The Santera Obelisk. A towering, fractured building with an obsidian spire inside of it.
An Obelisk surrounded by scorched stone and triple concentric walls. Built after the Black Lantern Breach, The Santera Obelisk now stands as the heart of Noctis Dominion. A direct counter to OMEN's Archfield.
Before it was a Noctis stronghold it was just called Santera's Obsidian Spire, holding one of the Great Seven Seals—but due to the Black Lantern Breach it now stands as a Landmark of O.M.E.G.A's failed defense.
A landmark Ilija Castiel observed from a distance…
He notices a supply convoy of Noctis Soldiers wearing OMEN Flags near the outer yards. He peers off the cliff, looking down at the corrupted lands that await him. "I don't have to hold myself back like I did at Archfield." He mutters—looking up at the moon and stars.
Quickly he leaps off the cliff into the outer ring of Santera. A dark basin of corrupted Chikara, hemalock pools, half-buried relics, smashed altars and rusted relic-haulers. He lands silently, Chikara formed at the bottom of his feet.
Quickly his eyes scan the immediate area before he gathers Chikara in his legs.
Flicker!
The next time he appears he's dashing towards the convoy with a focused look, leaping obstacles and avoiding Abyssal patrols with relative ease. "6 Miles until I reach the convoy."
His speed increased as he pumped his legs with Chikara.
What would've taken 10 minutes of dashing took a mere 60 seconds.
As he approached the convoy of false OMEN he fell in line, blending in perfectly.
After a while he looked at the gigantic structure ahead of him. The Santera Obelisk.
Ilija thinks to himself. 'The main Noctis Stronghold. Just how did they take Santera?' As the convoy approached the first concentric wall, its gate fully opened. Soon Ilija was inside and just like a flicker he was gone, appearing in the shadows near a ruined building.
He moved with the ease of an infiltrator, slipping shadow to shadow like a phantom.
Before long he broke off from the convoy, kneeling under a crumbled building, staring directly at the second concentric wall. A few hundred meters further stood the gate leading into the second layer stood open, guarded heavily by Abyssal sentinels.
'The gate's open.' He watched the gate, studying the sentinels movements, before dashing towards the wall and leaping off the ground.
He summons Chikara to his feet, landing and dashing up the wall, each step silent and precise. The moonlight shone bright like diamonds in the sky.
When he lands on the other side, he sees not just an abandoned battlefield, but a place where Noctis Labs are hidden inside non-destroyed buildings. This time he summons Chikara into the palm of his hand, pressing it into the ground.
A small shockwave travels through the ground.
His eyes widen as he feels, a weird sensation. A distorted sensation appears in a large quantity behind him.
FLICKER!!
He flickers to the top of a building, and just in time as his afterimage is crushed by a fist belonging to an Abyssal Sentinel 7 meters in length.
Abyssal Sentinels are warriors of various ranks who have been experimented on and converted into Siege weapons controlled by Noctis Dominion.
Each Abyssal Sentinel is as strong as an OMEN sentinel.
This specific Abyssal stood close to 23 feet tall, its charred black skin fused with jagged obsidian spikes, its wide bulky build slowly shifts before its chest plate opens sending out a cloud of corrupted Chikara that quickly makes a few buildings and crumble into dust.
The Abyssal turns to Ilija's position, its glowing purple eyes pinpointing exactly where he is.
Ilija's face turns serious seeing the dark tendrils erupting from the Abyssal's back. "Damnit." quickly he drops to the ground, landing with his combat stance readied.
Ilija's eyes narrow as a tendril barrels towards him. He dodges to the side, running alongside the tendril.
He reaches into his utility belt and pulls out a piece of paper with a marking on it, slamming it on the tendril.
He leaps landing on the side of a ruined 3 story building. The piece of paper starts glowing before exploding creating a cloud of smoke and ash.
The tendril falls nearby, detached from the Abyssal.
"So your tendrils aren't invincible."
Ilija's face remains serious as he begins calculating his next move, His eyes darting around in analysis, then with tremendous speed darts towards the Abyssal.
The Abyssal fist comes flying towards Ilija at lightning speeds. Ilija's eyes glow for a moment–meeting the fist with a fist of his own.
The two clash blitzing attacks while never leaving their feet.
Ilija flips away from a hammerfist slamming into the ground… but two tendrils are already following him as he stomps on the ground creating a makeshift jagged rockwall to conceal himself for just a moment.
FLICKER!!
The tendrils slam through the rocks and Ilija's afterimage as he appears on the Abyssals right arm. He quickly summons a Black Bolt as he dashes up the sentinel's arm with black lightning crackling behind him.
The first tendril flies past his face as he turns his head—eyes glowing brightly as he blitzes forward dodging two more tendrils with lightning fast reflexes.
Chikara coats his hand as he severs through more and more tendrils each step. "Those tendrils are faster than your physical attacks though.."
He severs one more tendril before reaching the sentinel's shoulder.
He leaps into the air directly in front of the Abyssal's featureless mask. "There's no rules in warfare." he reminisces on the Exam thinking back to when Erik answered Mercer's question before his eyes lock onto the mask.
"BLACK BOLT!!"
He launches the bolt directly into the middle of the mask causing a huge gust of wind to push in the opposite direction.
The contact is loud and sickening. The Abyssal is flung through multiple buildings, skidding through the ground and eventually making a crater in the western wall.
Ilija chuckles as he slowly walks towards the staggering Abyssal. It peels itself out of the wall, staring Ilija directly in the eye with the protruding black bolt in the middle of his mask.
"Back for seconds?" Ilija's mocking tone was almost as cold as the night air he battled in.
The Abyssal rips the black bolt out of its mask; a piece of it falls to the ground revealing half of a woman's face kept intact unlike the rest of her corrupted body.
Her cold eyes lock onto Ilija, their shadows dancing in the moonlight.
The Abyssal stands perfectly still, the cracks in her skin start to glow and leak red and purple corrupted Chikara into the air. Its fingers extend into claws and its eyes draw fury.
The Abyssal runs at Ilija this time coming with a side slash faster than any attack it sent out before yet Ilija skillfully cartwheels over the attack, leaping into the air.
"Enu!"
The symbol glows bright as he flickers from the air to behind the Abyssal.
"Looking back at that damn exam I took at Archfield, I've gotten used to this new strength." He looks at his enemy before shaking his head in disapproval. The Abyssal doesn't turn around.
"I didn't do enough damage!"
The Abyssal kicks its left leg back into Ilija's afterimage as he reappears on a nearby rooftop seconds later.
"I will kill you!!" He screams out as his mark starts to sting. This mark enhances him 3x his regular ability.
He leaps towards the Abyssal 3x faster than lightning, faster than it can perceive. With a hard kick Ilija sends the sentinel crashing into the ground sending it skidding.
The moment it tries to get up Ilija flickers in front of the Abyssal, breathing heavier than before.
The Abyssal's mask falls to the ground like fractured puzzle pieces. When she lifts her head Ilija's eyes widen in recognition.
He stands in momentary shock before regaining himself.
"You're Ayaka Dort. A former OMEN Sentinel who went missing during a routine patrol 3 years ago. How did you end up like that?" Upon saying this Ayaka's eyes glow amber as if some unforeseen force was controlling her.
"Who she was before does not matter now. She is a failed experiment and a disappointment to my arts." Her voice sounds ethereal, detached from reality due to the corrupted Chikara inside her body.
Ilija covers his nose as the corrupted Chikara emitting from the cracks in her body start to intercept his airways and sit heavy in the air. "You were producing that the entire time!'
Ayaka attempts to swipe Ilija away, swinging her arm only to be stopped by a barrier Ilija summoned.
Another punch from Ayaka and the barrier dissipates; Ilija's already gone.
He starts flickering around expelling a great amount of Chikara, the sen trying to track his movements with her eyes.
"It's clear whoever experimented on you sent you here as a test. Whether for me or for you I don't know yet." Ilija declares as he summons dual black bolts, grinning while dashing towards Ayaka.
Her punches blitz toward Ilija but each one evaded easily by Ilija, showcasing a skill far above Ayaka.
.
The first black bolt hits square in the middle of her chest, directly into the Chikara core of the Abyssal Sentinel, then a jolt of electricity begins to pulse through her body in waves, electrocuting her body.
As soon as he lands he creates a dome barrier around himself.
The electricity doesn't affect her immediately as her fist slams into the barrier endlessly, each one moving with the intent to kill.
Ilija dissipates the barrier then uses Chikara to redirect a punch, sending it crashing into the ground; this gives him all the time he needs..
3 seconds..
He lengthens the black bolt in his right hand, concentrating on its piercing power. He leap frogs another punch, dashing up the sentinel's arm in a familiar sight.
2 seconds…
As soon as he touched her shoulders he slammed the black bolt into her forehead, in the exact same spot it pierced her mask. This still doesn't put her down.
"1 SECONDS!"
He flickers to the ground with another black bolt summoned, although this time his tongue fully out. His eyes narrow with resentment as he launches the black bolt.
"LIGHTNING ART: BLACK SPLITTER!"
The bolt traverses through the air faster than light itself, creating streaks of lightning that scar the ground. The attack creates a shockwave that sends multiple destroyed buildings flying back towards the second concentric wall, many buildings crumbling from crashing into other buildings.
It pierces directly through the middle of the previous bolt splitting it into 6 different pieces lodged straight into her core. "The electricity my technique generates is almost like venom, because once you get hit you are completely paralyzed from it. Oh and not to mention, every sentinel has a weakness…" His eyes lock onto the bolts in her core.
"Behold a never seen before technique! MY TECHNIQUE!"
He clasps his hands together channeling the rest of his Chikara before pulling them apart with great effort, revealing a ball of black lightning forming between them. When he does, electricity begins to connect from the 7 black bolts inside Ayaka to the ball.
It grows to an enormous size before he slams the ball of lighting into the ground beneath himself then screams out—
"LIGHTNING ART: DEVASTATING ELECTROCUTION!"
The ground cracks in every direction, concrete snaps and black Chikara seeps out of those cracks. The moment some of the Chikara touch Ayaka's foot it sends a disgustingly high voltage throughout her body.
Ayaka's Abyssal body sears from the attack, lying sizzling and completely motionless.
Her head slowly turns toward Ilija, her pupils slowly fading. Before he knows it her pupils are gone and she's no longer moving.
"She's been dead long before this battle, Castiel."
Ilija readies himself with a strained look and gritted teeth, "Show yourself!" His breathing slightly altered from the exertion of using an incomplete technique like his 'Devastating Electrocution'.
His eyes lock onto a figure approaching from the shadows of the 3rd concentric wall, his guard never dropping.
Stepping out of the shadows is an extremely tall and lanky man with long purple hair wearing a brown snakeskin coat, arms held behind his back in a dangerous sense of calmness.
He continues walking towards Ilija who straightens his posture, coming only to the man's shoulder.
"I've been waiting, Ilija Castiel."
Hearing this causes Ilija's eyes to widen in confusion. Upon closer inspection he sees the man's grey scaly skin and piercing amber eyes, It's unmistakable. "You must be Koromaru." Ilija never drops guard.
"I'm pleased to finally meet Zeru's infiltrator." His voice carries a hissing sound behind it as he turns towards the wall. "I trust your journey wasn't too rough?"
Ilija takes a deep breath. "Not even a scratch."
Koromaru analyzes the even more destroyed city around him with a grin before locking eyes on the Ayaka walking towards her body.
He stops in front of it, analyzing the electricity that seems to never fade..
"You seemed to outclass Ayaka in just about everything." He reaches his hand towards her body; a jolt of electricity causes his hair to slightly stand.
Koromaru grins wickedly before turning back to Ilija, walking towards the third concentric walls gigantic doorway. "I wonder what the true source of your strength is."
He says alluding to the mark on Ilija's tongue.
A bell chimes in the distance, followed by the roar of an unknown creature past the third wall.
"Come quick little one." Koromaru says as he and Ilija make their way through the third gate, past it reveals a gigantic winding one way hallway.
Each step they take echoes, each breath can be heard from each end of the hallway.
Ilija slightly looks over at Koromaru. "How long were you watching the fight?"
"I've been watching you since you approached Santera boy."
Ilija chuckles, Koromaru stays silent.
"Your stealth skills are still subpar. If you come over to my side I can augment you with the stealthiness of a snake, undetectable by even the 5 great warrior nations." He carries the last syllable, hissing like a snake.
"Not interested." Ilija doesn't even look towards Koromaru's direction.
Koromaru chuckles. "Suit yourself Castiel."
"The room we're heading to is inside the room of the broken seal. In fact, we'll be standing right in front of said seal." Koromaru's eyes lock onto something down the hallway, Ilija's eyes follow suit.
A few hundred meters down from them stood a gigantic archway accompanied by a thick layer of corrupted chikara blocking the view inside.
Past that archway stood the Yozai, a room only the most elite members could enter. It was named after the King of Kouniza's flying warship he used to combat the then newly created Eldorian Airships.
Koromaru stops Ilija 15 meters before they reach the corrupted Chikara. "Careful, this corrupted Chikara will kill you if you just walk into it."
Ilija stares at the corruption. "Noctis broke Santera's seal–What? 5 Months ago? How haven't you all developed something to rid this."
That same moment Koromaru turns to Ilija with a calculated slowness, "We did." He presses both his hands to the corrupted cloud of Chikara in the archway, palms glowing an intense white. He begins splitting the cloud with relative ease.
"Come, the night is still young."
Ilija stands in momentary shock; the corrupted Chikara stays separated allowing him to walk inside with Koromaru—when the two enter it seals back.
They stand in the Yozai's foyer, the conversation happening inside the seal room clearly audible.
"What the hell do you mean you're not sending anyone to finish Gomen off!" Dargus swipes his hand in frustration, snapping a part of the broken seal's base, now reduced to nothing more than a table for future meetings.
Dargus (1st form): The Eldorian form. Dargus stays in this form when not in combat due to the Chikara drain of the other forms. He stands at 5'8 with an athletic bodytype. His sunken red eyes burn with rage, his long black hair does little to hide his pointy ears. He wears the high-collared Noctis robes just as all the inner circle does.
Zeru stares at him, his tall and lanky form standing perfectly still. "You heard me Dargus." His eyes scan the other 2 members present in the meeting.
"You were sent to destroy Gomen's seal. Instead you took Risaki's heart and retreated." Zeru's tone is deep and serious.
"I don't even know what you've done with it."
Zeru stares into Dargus' sunken eyes with an eerie calmness, then turns towards Hora and Hera. "Risaki manhandled Hora and Hera and he would've killed you if you were alone. That Behemoth Fall took some time didn't it?"
Hora looks towards Zeru, Hera has a confused look on her face as well. "How does he know that?" She mutters under her breath.
Zeru turns his head towards her. "I watched the entire fight from the shadows."
Hora slams his hand on the table causing items to be flung into the air.
"Bastard! You didn't tell us you were gonna watch us at all times when we joined this organization!"
Zeru disappears into nothingness, Hora leaps back.
The moment he lands, Zeru slowly rises from the ground in front of him.
"That's because I have an… Endless Gaze." His mask swirls in a perfect circle whilst still keeping form. Hora's eyes lock onto the swirling for just a second–thats all it takes.
The second begins to loop in Hora's mind, getting faster and faster causing his mind to overload.
FLICKER!
Dargus lands next to Hora, putting his hand over his eyes. Hera next to Zeru with a triangle hand sign pointed towards him.
"I told you not to touch them." Dargus' words echo through the Yozai and the seal glows brighter than it ever has before..
The swirling stops–breaking the illusion. Zeru fully emerges from a few feet away.
"The two headed monster that is Noctis Dominions is run by 2 individuals, The 'Faceless Phantom' Zeru Kagemura and the 'King of Monsters' Dargus. I have returned." Koromaru announces as he and Ilija finally step into the Yozai.
Zeru appears back at his side of the table, yet the other Zeru mimics his movements without ever disappearing or moving. "Ah yes, Koromaru. I'm assuming you went and picked up my infiltrator?"
Koromaru steps to the side allowing Ilija to enter fully. "You should see the commotion he caused outside."
"I did." Zeru's tone has more respect when speaking to Koromaru.
Ilija takes in the atmosphere, the scent of pure Chikara in the air, the glow of the seal turned table, the spiked edges of said table.
Dargus swipes through the Zeru standing in front of him watching as it disperses into smoke. "Who's the new kid?"
Ilija appears on top of the table, kneeling directly in front of Zeru. He reaches into his utility belt and pulls out a scroll. "I have the information sir. I've been gathering this for 4 weeks."
Zeru nods, taking the scroll from Ilija then turning to Dargus. "This is Ilija Castiel, he was tasked with infiltrating all major warrior organizations, taking and passing each of their exams then disappearing without a trace. He was also tasked with gathering information on their main bases, strongest warriors and leaders."
"He is my personal infiltrator."
Dargus eyebrow raises, "So he would know about Gomen's state then?"
Ilija nods, "Yes, you and those two weakened the seal because you killed Risaki Payne, the guardian."
Dargus grins upon hearing this then turns towards the Terror Twins. "Then it's settled. Terror Twins, you will scout Gome–"
Zeru's eyes glow, Ilija turns towards him as Dargus says this feeling the intense aura radiating off Zeru.
"You're sending these two to scout Gomen? No. The Pinnarch would have already sent a squad of wardens to reinforce the seal. Dargus, what exactly are you playing at!" Zeru's voice is deep and serious.
Dargus snaps at Zeru, "Do you think that you can command MY unit Kagemura? It's taking me a lot to not rip you in half!"
Zeru's mask starts swirling yet Dargus continues to stare at him.
"Do not threaten me." The tension in the air is thick from the two heads clashing, Koromaru has a wide grin on his face.
Dargus is the first to talk, "These two have survived 17 years already. They can handle themselves."
Ilija looks at the two of them with a calculating expression. "Omen sent Risaki Payne's last two students and two sentinels to guard the Seal until reinforcements arrived."
Zeru's gaze turns to Ilija as he continues. "If you want to claim that seal you'll need to strike fast, reinforcements will arrive in 2 days."
Dargus grins upon hearing this, his chimeric scales revealed under his jaw. "You should be more like your infiltrator Zeru." Dargus murmurs as he turns to Hora and Hera.
Hora and Hera crack their knuckles in unison, showing perfect synchronization. "This sounds too good to be true. I wouldn't wanna go head first into trouble with the wrong intel." Hera says as she begins summoning multiple kunai, putting them into the inside of her cloak.
Hora simply leans on the wall with his arms crossed. Waiting for the next orders.
Dargus looks towards Koromaru, their eyes meet in a knowing way. "It's confirmed. Hora, Hera–I want you to go scout that seal then report whatever you find." Dargus says as he walks towards the foyer.
Hora finally steps away from the wall signalling for Hera to follow him to the foyer. "We'll have it done." His voice has a certain detachment to it.
Ilija never looks at Zeru's mask, instead the collar of his cloak. "What are you plotting? Purposely giving them information about Gomen? Letting them know about Risaki's students so Dargus goes against my wishes?" Zeru looks towards Koromaru with an intense glare, Koromaru meets his gaze.
"It's very smart. Very strategic Castiel." His amusement is audible in his voice as it heightens again, back to the sing-song pitch.
"Ilija Castiel, your next mission will be to prevent the Terror Twins from destroying Gomen's seal. This means you will aid OMEN in defending it." He appears in front of Ilija who's staring at the ground with his fists clenched.
"How bad do you want to find out what happened to your clan? Do this and you'll get some answers."
Zeru makes sure his words reach the foyer where Dargus and the Terror Twins stand, now aware of the plan.
Hera steps towards the Dargus, her body slightly glowing a purple chikara as she throws her cloak to the ground revealing a black crop top with chainmail underneath it, a purple jacket with fur accents over those, black combat pants and boots to match. "You heard that Dargus?"
Hora is already next to her, removing his cloak and revealing a purple combat vest and chainmail under, combat pants and combat boots. He clenches his hands, his fingerless gloves straining. "He planted the seeds for our betrayal." Steam exits from the shoulder of his left augmented arm.
Dargus looks at the two siblings with a look of anger, primal rage that almost begins to boil off his scales. "If you encounter any Noctis or O.M.E.G.A—Kill them and do not hold back."
FLICKER!!
They disappear within an instant, leaving no further trace of their presence.
Koromaru grins and walks alongside the table towards Zeru. "You do understand that Dargus is already thinking about deserting? You may have planted the last seed."
Zeru's grip tightens on the scroll. "It's just as you said, right? Noctis is a two headed beast–If he's smart he won't behead that beast. Ilija you should head back and solidify yourself in OMEN's ranks. That means you have to intervene in the Terror Twins mission in a way that stands out."
Ilija nods, his gaze drifting to Koromaru.
"Right."
"Koromaru, take Castiel to the outskirts of Archfield, Keep your presence away from their sensory unit." Koromaru nods, wasting no time walking towards the opposite direction of the foyer.
Zeru unravels the scroll, and for the first time Ilija sees his eyes widen in surprise.
"Yes… This is good."
Ilija walks with Koromaru, as they approach the wall it slowly splits open revealing a gigantic tunnel with glowing purple crystalline shards scattered throughout the interior.
"Where are we exactly?" Ilija says as he steps over a small puddle of glowing liquid.
Koromaru looks around as they walk. "We are inside the Hollow Tunnels; Tunnels of warped reality used to accelerate travel between regions. These were made by civilizations, little after the sundering warped the lands that lay between continents." As he says that the wall seals behind them, rocks click into place like puzzle pieces. "Santera used to be the main base of the King of Kouniza, it was originally called Sanna."
"How do you know that for certain?" Ilija's question is full of curiosity and uncertainty.
Koromaru chuckles "The Eldorian Revolution."
Ilija's eyes widen at the words–Revolution–He analyzes the markings on the wall, the carvings, the huge space. This tunnel was likely used to move refugees between camps.
"It's warped inside?"
"Always been the case. Even back then people hypothesised that the Kirinnoki thinks we are inside its roots. Some even said the deeper you go the closer you get to the underworld and the more warped it gets."
Koromaru stops Ilija from going further, in front of them the ground sunk into deep water. "To progress faster it is best we travel beneath the water. His tongue flicks revealing its forked nature. He bites his thumb drawing blood from it.
"Blood Summoning: Titanous Helhgandr!" His blood drips to the ground… the moment it does the ground begins to shake violently–something large begins to rise from the ground. Rocks, soil and gravel fall–a gigantic brown serpent half the size of the hollow tunnel rises from the ground, its brown snakeskin shaking slightly before it opens its piercing eyes.
"Ahh it's been so long since I've been summoned. What do you want, Koromaru." Helhgandr's serpentine voice echoes throughout the tunnel.
Ilija analyzes the serpent, holding his hand out to touch its scales. Koromaru strides past him towards the head of Helhgandr—grabbing Ilija's hand as he does. "I wouldn't touch him."
The two reach the head of the serpent. Both Ilija and Koromaru stand on the water. "You can still waterwalk? You must regenerate Chikara rather quickly." Koromaru says without ever breaking eye contact with Helhgandr.
"I need you to transport him to the outskirts of Archfield-"
Helhgandr groans upon hearing this, his eyes shift down the tunnel. "That's too close even by your standards Koromaru. Did Kagemura order this?"
Koromaru nods one, twice, then again and the serpent opens his eyes wider, "A lot has changed since the last time I summoned you, this isn't a request…"
"...It's an order."
Helhgandr opens his jaw wide enough for Koromaru's tall and lanky form to step onto its tongue. He looks at Ilija who's staring reluctantly at the serpent. "It's nice and warm in here..."
Ilija does just that, slowly and cautiously stepping inside the serpent's Jaw and onto its tongue; The moment his full body enters—
SNAP!!
Helhgandr closes its mouth, slithering forward into the depths of the water. Ilija sits on the tongue thinking how finds himself traveling from Santera back to Archfiled…