Ascension of the Nephilim

The space trembled, and the entire cave was being altered. The Temple itself had begun to absorb the very mountain in which it stood. A blinding light began to spread out.

But as the light spread to the very edges of the Temple's grounds, strange darkness began to appear.

The Temple activated the power of Phos Eis Skotos as it began to conceal the energy and power of the Temple itself.

Now was the best time to do this. Such a marvelous change would spur the Temple to change in power and form, and the power of True Creation transpired.

The resources the Temple required were far, far inferior to the product it made. This was because the creation process used the very basic form of an item and its magic to change it.

The power of Steel, Soter, and the other Codes and Corruption that the Temple has was harnessed and added to the base materials.

The Temple seemed to mind as the items gathered were being renewed.

Kyros suddenly saw a vision.

He saw an aspect of Light. A being with no form and essence was the first light ever shown in the entire universe.

He was the being that existed before and whose powers were the cause of unity until Hyperion severed the Universe.

He was the being that stood and was the first among the ones that took form right after the Beginning.

"Nephilim. You are the light that will shine at the end of times. When the Last Days appear, the enemies of Beginning will gather and wage their war. The world will be plunged into darkness, oblivion, and death. But in the mountain of the Nephilim, the last stand will be made. You are the secret force, the final stand, and the final rays of my light that will fight the darkness. Arise, O Nephilim! And let my light shine! I am Astera Proinon Soter! First of the Light! And my light will pierce through the darkness of the End!"

The light spoke and shone brightly.

This power had shown itself in small forms as it called and brought back many weapons that had been lost in the world. And then, the power of Soter began to take physical form and was imbued with the existing powers.

Kyros now knew how the Temple would be hidden.

He could feel the power of Mysterion surging out. The base materials were all gathered for the sake of deceiving the gods and fallen. The massive changes in the materials gathered in the Temple were left unknown.

"[Kaine Ktisis]!" The being declared and the power that transformed creation.

The base materials were now being renewed. And yet, its resonance across the universe and through the realm remained the same. It was as if they were still the same objects they were.

The entire mountain and even the deep ground beneath the Temple were being assimilated.

The walls that were made grew taller as they pushed outwards, expanding the region within the Temple.

It was then that a large structure enveloped the entire Temple. The walls became a rampart defense, complete with chambers within the walls. Places, where weapons of war could be placed were set.

Gates formed and covered the four areas of the wall, and the wall itself was brimming with power.

The Temple was now only the 'church' grounds within the forts. As a result, numerous rooms and chambers were opened.

From a Temple, it had become a small castle.

Each corner of the walls had a watch tower. The ground was tilled and cultivated, and farmland appeared. Yet, a strange power remained in the farmland.

A massive hall appeared to the east of the Temple. Several forges appeared, and all sorts of equipment were there. An array of weapon racks full of weapons appeared. To the side, several rows of knight armors, archer garbs, barbarian outfits, and all sorts of armors for various jobs had appeared.

Right next to the station was a room that had numerous beds. It was like a hospital, and various magical devices were arranged around.

The Library of the Nephilim disappeared from its room within the Temple. And it all appeared and created a large hall on the east wing of the castle and had even more books than before!

The knowledge of cultivation for all, be it magic, brute, and even rudimentary knowledge on all paths of Creation, was made known!

The books inside had enough knowledge to help all Nephilim's armies reach the levels of Cardinal as long as they had the right amount that could be bestowed.

Right next to the library was a smaller chamber that had numerous glass containers, cauldrons, and other objects. This was not among the listed rewards of level one, but Branze had already known that the Temple could create an alchemy lab, so he instructed his men to take whatever they could acquire from their trades, purchases, and raids.

The alchemy room had the same devices that Kyros played with in the lizard kingdom. It was a chamber that created all alchemy pills, weapons, and healing items.

At the center of the two halls was the path leading towards the Temple.

The layout of the Temple had changed. The Library of the Nephilim was extended with the addition of the codes and corruption that Kyros managed to acquire in the Unrecorded Pages.

There were several levels and rooms made. All in all, a structure three levels high and even one level down had formed.

The entire area where the group stood had become a wide, open area that clearly looked like a training ground with arenas, various equipment, and obstacle courses.

Rooms formed, which Kyros could tell were the residential areas for everyone to live in.

As the bright light faded, the entire structure of the Temple changed.

The group marveled at the radiant power around them. A fortress that would be the envy of the Lowlands and would surpass the Midland kingdoms has suddenly taken form!

"Amazing..." Mezal watched and trembled.

Their new home had taken form.

Everyone watched in amazement and began to move about. They moved out of the wide arena and explored every side of the Fortress.

Even Kyros followed in curiosity and amazement.

Branze watched and could feel the power emitting out of the stone.

"This power... Isn't this like a mark on our backs? No... Mysterion? Is this entire Fortress shrouded and concealed in Mystery?" Branze asked.

"That's exactly it!" Kyros answered as he moved towards the armory and smithery workshop.

"If you think about it, resources and items such as this are vital in knowing the End. It's not about people. You need to see the resources of the world and the weapons of your enemies to doom them to destruction. The power of Soter was hidden in Mysterion. Soter changed everything. He made everything inside, a new creation, but coated in my power. That way, the Temple's real worth, and growing power would be outside of the estimates of End. The Champion level equipment that some of us wielded were weapons and armors carried by gods and fallen. They were weakened and hidden in here for us to wield. But now, with me forgotten, it allowed the residing power of Soter to appear and perform [Kaine Ktisis]. Everything we brought inside was transformed into a new creation."

"So basically, Beginning's plan is to make the enemy forget this Temple?"

"Yes. I saw a vision of Soter. He said the same thing. This Fortress will be the light in the dark days to come."

"Is that a hospital? Why did the Temple create one when it can heal?" Aron wondered.

"Healing takes up energy. It's best to save the healing for our strongest members. When we reach the higher levels, like Crowns and so on, it will take a vast amount of energy to heal us. If we have an army, a hospital is necessary." Branze explained.

"An armory and a smithery... We can make great weapons with this!" Mezal smiled.

"Indeed. With our current manpower, even with all the weapons added, we won't have enough resources to arm them. But now that we have this, it'll be easier to produce weapons of war.

The Emberdons were over at the alchemy labs along with several other mages, and they were all shouting excitedly.

Everyone continued to explore and test out the amazing features of the Fortress.

But as that was happening, a fallen had felt the power.

Thanatos Kyriachos, the current lord of the fallen, gazed at a distance and sensed the power that surged out. But he was so far away that he could not understand where the light was.

"My lord!" A being appeared next to him. It was Rhykestorn Ever.

Instantly, many fallen also appeared.

They were all alerted and afraid at the power they felt. No god who bore the name Soter remained. The last ones died in a great battle in the past. Yet now, this light has returned!

"...Soter's light? How can this be?!"