Chapter 765: The Unmaking

Chapter 765: The Unmaking

The army of monsters came on like a tidal wave of death.

Celestial dire tigersnow well outnumbering the remaining church membersleapt for the resolved warriors, claws tearing and powerful jaws crunching armour.

Elder fire elementals, charged forward, showering Alexs enemies in cleansing flame. Elder earth elementals thundered ahead, boulder-sized fists sweeping out, crushing priests and holy warriors with every swing. Elder water elementals engulfed fighters inside their liquid forms, stealing their breaths, keeping them trapped as the fluid was sucked from them, leaving only mummified bodies drifting inside the massive spirits. Elder ice elementals lashed out, freezing mortal forms in place, then shattering them like icicles.

Astral engeli dove like falcons, flaming weapons swinging in blurring arcs. In a storm of holy light and flaming steel, the enemy was reduced further.

Behind them, Bjorgrund charged, unleashing his full power, hacking through their hunters like a ship cutting through rough seas, leaving a path of ruined bodies in his wake.

The Unmaker was like a phantom.

In one heartbeat, she had been standing and merely observing. In the next, she was gone, landing among the enemy. No onenot even Alexhad seen her move.

She embodied destruction.

Her six arms were a blur, weapons flickering around on all sides. Holy warriors fell like frost stricken leaves in a hurricane wind. One moment they were charging at, the next, they were mangled on the ground.

Her tail flicked out, lashing side to side, breaking bodies, its bladed tip shearing metal, flesh and bone like air. Skilled priests and other warriors of the secret churchwarriors whod tried with every divinity and prayer they could call on to stop herdied at her hands as easily as snuffed candlelight.

Alex had been watching the carnage playing out before him, he raised the aeld, levelling it at the First Apostles chest and twitching his brow.

Syllables tumbled from his lips. Disintegrating energy streaked for the ancient Chosen, surrounded by a swarm of forceballs seeking to containhim.

The world seemed to slow to a crawl.

Gabrian looked on in disbelief. How was any of what was before him even possible? He could not understand how he had lived so long only to see such dark times, only to see his people come to ruin under his leadership.

Yet, it was true.

For hundreds of years, he had led the entirety of Uldars hidden church with a kind and even hand. He had cared for the people with compassion and understanding, making sure they lived in harmony with their land, preparing them to fulfil the duties that their god saw fit for them to face.

He had inherited the secret orderone that had existed for thousands of yearsafter he was welcomed into the fold and given direction. For a time, and a long time at that, they had thrived under his stewardship. He had expanded their training, making them greater warriors than they had ever been in the history of the order.

Hed cared for them, spiritually, ensuring that their faith remained strong, and that their hearts remained true. In some ways, he felt as though hed helped to raise them. He remembered every face herethrough every stage of their liveshaving watched them grow from squalling babes, to youths, and then grown servants of Uldar.

Now their lives were evaporating like droplets of rain under a hot sun. Warriors he had helped shape from childhood were being threshed apart, burned and drowned as they called out for their god to save them.

But, as always, Uldar was silent.

Even when Izasone of his greatest servantswas punctured then peeled apart like pieces of rotten fruit, he had not come down to avenge him. When his own holy weaponsnow clutched in the hands of a heathen giant and an evil spirit of warwere turned on his people, he did not snatch them away with his divine will, and then smite down those who had despoiled them.

Even when his ultimate commands were violatedthe Fool casting spells and doing violencehe had not intervened.

And Gabrian could not understand why.

As he watched a swarm of forceballs racing toward him, surrounding a beam of disintegration magic, he felt lost, unable to comprehend what it was all for. Had his god turned his back on him? Had he been so incompetent, so unworthy, so foolish, that Uldar could only be driven to disgust and not save his most precious children from such terrible deaths.

After all, who could blame him?

Gabrian had taken an order that had existed for thousands of years, andin his arrogancethought he had improved and perfected it. In truth, all he had done was bring it to ruin. Under his stewardship, they had first lost their home, and now their lives. He felt tears burning in his eyes.

The order still had a number of members buried within the ranks of the Thameish army and other groups, but the core membersthe backbone who had dwelled in Uldars Risehad followed him to their ruin.

And the worst of it?

It had seemingly all been for nothing. This moment was no epic sacrifice to destroy one of their deity's greatest enemies.

At this momentit seemed that an errant Fool had caused every bit of this destruction, and would simply win, leaving their order as nothing more than a soon to be forgotten memory.

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But, that must never happen. He was Uldars ancient Chosen and his First Apostle, he could not give up.

He could not give up until hed taken the life of this murderer.

Even as the Fools spells continued to lash out, he finished his incantation. Waves of power exploded in all directions, weaving into the chambers walls, floor and ceiling.

Stone rattled.

A quake began rumbling through the walls.

Cracks snaked along them.

Rock rained from the ceiling. Dust billowed in clouds.

This place will come to ruin! the First Apostle shouted, his voice a promise.

What in all the Hells is he doing? Has he finally gone mad? Birger cried, as all around him Keldas lab shook.

Glass instruments rattled.

Metal machines clanged together.

Dust wafted from the ceiling.

It felt like the giants teeth were clattering in his head.

Through every portal-window, Birger could see the sanctum vibrating with the First Apostles power. His energies were rampaging through the sanctum, and the destruction kept spreading.

Stop it! Burger shouted, though he knew the leader of the hidden church would not hear him, or care if he did. You're going to bring the whole sanctum down on all our heads! You're going to destroy everything! Dammit! the old giant looked desperately at the controls.

He activated the goddess statues, trying to fire on the First Apostle and fae, but they were too fast.

Much too fast.

What do I do? Birger looked back at Keldas body.

His old friend lay in silence within her glass coffin, so well-preserved, it looked as though she would sit up at any moment, wearingthat easy smile of hers. If she could sit up, he knew she wouldnt be smiling now, shed be incensed at these invaders inside her home. He could imagine her leaping to the controls, revealing some hidden function of her sanctum that would turn these interlopers to dust.

But she never would: they were on their own.

Have you lost your mind? Alex shouted at Gabrian as the sanctum shook.

He could feel frustration growing.

They were close.

So very close.

But the fae and Apostle were so fast: just as they couldn't pin him down, the same was true for them. The holy man had conjured an earthquake spell that was going to bury everyonein the sanctum.

Or maybe he only wanted to bury Alexs army, and give himself and the fae cover to escape.

Either way, he had to stop them.

He turned his attention to the earth elementals as rock and dust flew, blocking his vision. Go into the stone! he shouted. Use your power over the earth to quiet the rock until his spell passes. I want you to

Suddenly, Alex felt a sharp sting on his arm and raised it, examining the skin.

A gash, with grains of soil clinging to a jagged wound, was there.

Alex knew in an instant.

This was not good.

Small bits of rock and grit with sanctified soil embedded in it, had caught him, breaking through his greater force armour and the skin beneath.

Oh shi he started.

The interdiction slammed into him.