Ascension of the Nephilim

The dark army continued to emerge from the portal and march towards the ground connecting towards the Temple ground.

At first, it was just the Coven who could see in the darkness as their sights allowed them. The Emberdon Champions also used their powers to pierce through and see the darkness. 

They were shocked at the scene of the army. The enemies outdid them by several folds. And it was their first time to see such strange shadow creatures.

The army of Shadow creatures came to light as it neared the Temple. The light from the Temple was illuminating everything around the area. Although the light wasn't very bright, it was somehow able to illuminate the area nearly half a kilometer from the Temple.

"What foul beasts are they?! And there are Champions among them!" Demerus asked. The Champions had gifted Mezal and his family Message Orbs. They were like Message Talismans but could only work a short-range. The orb communicated with all key members of the Steele family.

The servants and knights who stood guard all began to tremble as they saw the coming forces. They could hear the fearful cries of the Emberdon family.

The knights and servants near the Steele family members turned their eyes to the reactions of their lords. 

"This is way below my expectations! This is too weak!" Branze noted as we watched. He was positioned at the very passage of the middle doorway.

"Yeah. That's it? That's what we're facing?" Aron frowned.

"Champions? And here I thought I'd be facing Commanders..." Diana sighed.

"Maybe after we kill them, the next challenge will appear," Martha suggested.

"No. I'm pretty sure that the two trials are happening together. But it may be that whatever intelligent leader of this army is commanding the stronger ones to be situated at the back. After all, the portal has not yet sent in all of the forces." Kyros guessed.

"Are you all mad?!" Demerus shouted at the top of his lungs.

"We should be thinking about retreating!"

The Steele family turned at him for a split second, and there was silence.

"So anyway, if the enemy is reserving the stronger ones, the best way is to slay the ones that are here as fast as possible."

Demerus was about to shout again when Faye stopped him.

"Brother. Relax. Don't let the enemy's numbers deceive you. Remember. We have a Temple that can restore us! If we keep bombarding them with powerful spells and recover, we might be able to stop them easily. Remember that child who lost her limbs? She was able to grow it back! Perhaps that is what they are counting on." Faye reminded Demerus.

"Sister Faye is right, Brother. That should be why the Steele family isn't nervous."

"...Hm. So in the end, it's going to be us who will do the dirty work?" Demerus frowned.

"Can I go first?" Aron asked.

"I want to try." Branze volunteered.

"Please. A son will bury the father, not the other way around. I will go first!" Mezal volunteered.

"No, me. I still need to feed Puff."

"I wish to test the theories and might of a Paladin." Diana spoke.

"Hey, hey, hey! This is my Temple! I should give it a go!" Kyros complained.

The ranks of the shadow beasts were now organizing themselves an arrow-shot away from the Temple and began to growl and screech.

"What are they talking about?" Demerus asked Faye.

"I don't understand what they mean by going first, dear brother." Faye scratched her head.

"I think they are arguing over who of them will fight first," Triona answered.

"Fight first? As in defending those open doorways? There are four doorways. And they are already positioned there. Although the one Branze is standing on would be the first to be attacked."

"No. I meant, they are arguing over who will charge and attack that dark army first." Triona added.

"Charge? No way. Don't be stupid." The rest of Triona's siblings chorused.

The Steele family kept bickering.

"Alright! How about this! We let the Champions decide! Which one? Champion Demerus, which one of us?" Kyros asked.

"Erm... Mezal?" Demerus didn't know what they were talking about and decided to go with Mezal.

"Hahaha! Good choice!" Mezal laughed.

"Wait! He doesn't know what we are talking about!" Aron argued.

"Does it matter?" Mezal laughed.

"Kyros?" Branze asked his son.

"Fine..." Kyros shrugged his shoulders.

"I hope that the Emberdon Champions will consider me next time." Diana frowned.

"Grandson, I will need your help. Can you throw me over there? The higher you are from, the better." Mezal laughed.

"Alright. Buckle up, grandpa!" Kyros dove down, and the chains wrapped around Mezal. Kyros raced towards the sky with a swift motion and began to spin around several times in the air. Mezal was spinning and spinning as he was still tied to the chain, and Kyros was moving higher and higher.

KACHIN!

The subtle sound of the chains disconnecting was heard, and the Emberdon Champions were horrified at the sight of Mezal being hurled like a stone that catapults throw.

The shadow creatures saw the lone knight being tossed to them.

"Are you insane?!" Demerus shouted to Kyros.

"A little." Kyros smiled and watched his Grandfather's figure.

Mezal had always been at level 30. However, because of the high cost of the Class Change to be a Paladin, he never could afford it.

But when the power of True Cut was realized, Mezal learned that among the powers that they all had, they had the ability to cut through anything.

And this included the seals that the multitudes of gods and fallen have set. The truth of the Blessing was that it only 'unlocks' the power that the gods have sealed or superseded the limitations that were placed on all mortals. But Mezal didn't need that.

In short, Mezal, Branze, and Aron didn't need to undergo a Class Change.

A powerful force erupted and applied the simples skill that Paladin's had.

A round wall covered Mezal. But suddenly, a shocking scene appeared.

The force energy soon leaked out elemental energy.

Paladin was a hard road to walk upon, for it requires warriors to be exposed to a massive amount of Holy energy. By constant communing with Holy, the Force of the user slowly is reformed and becomes Holy itself.

But this form of practice was only possible with two elements. Holy and Dark. They are the only elements that can transform a person through exposure.

And yet, Mezal's force energy became Earth Energy. Mezal transformed into a meteor falling from the sky.

"Impossible!" Three Emberdon Champions cried out together as they witnessed the impossible scene.

"As expected of an old man who spent his entire life trying to change his Force energy into holy. With his foundations in Force-to-element, a little source of magic, and he can already do this. I wonder how strong he will become if he starts reading." Kyros laughed.

Deep in the darkness, the shadows watched as the rock was falling and laughed.

"Destroy it." A cold voice echoed deep in the dark.

Several shadows jumped high using their force energy. One had the form of a human wielding a large two-handed sword. Another had the form of an orc carrying a massive ax. And finally, a lizardman carrying a large spear jumped.

All of them were peak Captain levels, and their form of darkness allowed them to perform a gliding form of flight that carried them to the high sky.

"Foolishness. Earth cannot defeat the darkness. What is the neutral earth to us formless darkness?" The cold voice laughed as the three dark weapons of the captains struck the meteor.

SPLAT!

The three captains were pulverized from the falling meteor, and parts of their limbs and body parts could be seen being scattered.

"WHAT?!" The cold and detached voice shouted in great horror.

"Idiot." Kyros laughed.

"Grandfather spent his life trying to turn his force into Holy to be a Paladin forcibly. Finally, when he officially became a Force Paladin he achieved it. But now, with that little core, he can create powerful earth energy imbued with holy."

The meteor continued to fall. But this time, the laughing shadows were scattering. But it was too late.

BOOM!

The meteor landed and exploded out. What was amazing was that the meteor didn't create a deep crater on the ground where it landed, but the earth moved as if alive and was like a wall pushing forward to the nearby creatures.

"ROAR!"

The shrieks of the dying shadows could be heard as the walls kept pushing.

Several Captains acted immediately and attacked the approaching wall.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The consecutive attacks made from all sides caused the moving earth wall to collapse.

A shallow crater was present, and Mezal was standing with his sword and shield ready.

The shadow creatures were enraged and charged at Mezal.

But as they stepped forward, a strange force attacked them, and the shadows began to stumble and were dispersing.

"AHHHH!"

"ROAR!"

The pained shouts of the Shadows could be heard the moment some of them moved in the ground under Mezal.

The Captains who stepped forward felt the power rage, and they all jumped back.

Many shadows that charged died, and some managed to retreat back but looked as if they were greatly injured.

"Remove your dirty sandals. You are standing on [Hallowed Grounds]." Mezal laughed.

The Emberdon Champions were shocked at the scene.

The knights and servants of the Steele family were all rejoicing and shouting in great joy.

"Hmm. Show off." Aron laughed.

"Grandfather immediately grasped the best way to use the Basic Earth Cores. His skill in wielding elements and adding holy onto them is double my own." Branze smiled.

"What a idea, Grandfather has. But I still think the Paladin's Path is superior." Diana commented.

"So this is the Patriarch of the Steele family. As expected of this family of freaks." Martha praised.

Mechiel was applauding, but she couldn't help but sense an immense sense of fear.

"Strange. Why am I so afraid of him?" Mechiel wondered, but she could not help but desire to know one thing. She turned over and asked Hunter.

"Um... Sir Hunter. How strong are Lord Aron and Lord Branze compared to Lord Mezal?"

"Hmm... They all have their strengths. If we are talking purely of combat, Lord Aron will win. But Lord Branze has always bested Aron given a little more time. Lord Aron is strong in offense, Lord Branze in defense, and Lord Mezal is in the middle of the two extremes." Hunter explained.

The more Mechiel heard the more she could not help but feel a deep sense of fear. 

Champion Ressi approached Kyros, who was flying nearby.

"Master Kyros... What was that?" She was also skilled on Earth magic and never heard of someone creating such a powerful and holy earth!"

"Oh. Allow me to introduce to you the birth of a new job class in the Planes World.. We could call it an Earth Force Paladin."