Ascension of the Nephilim

The path of Creation was something that was sorely lacking in the Lowlands.

There weren't any Guilds or groups that could afford the extremely high and costly requirements to create the Operating Table and even the other basic necessary items to create one. Therefore, creating it required assistance from Enchanters and Energy Conversion Circle experts.

But here was someone who had a library that could teach them all the basic concepts.

The Steele Family was destined to rise and break out of the Lowlands. They had already reached the peak of what the Lowlands has to offer. But even with all their riches, they could not become worthy of the positions of any noteworthy cultivator in the Midlands. But now, they could! 

"Alright. You are our vassal force. I declare this as the head of the Steele family." Mezal announced, but he then turned to Kyros.

"Kyros, is there a way to confirm if the family curses are on them?" Mezal immediately asked.

"Yes. And they don't have it." Kyros shook his head as he could sense the curse flowing in them through his Foresight.

"Right. I don't sense the curses on them either. Alright. I recant my statements." Mezal suddenly declared.

"What?!" The five Champions erupted.

"What do you mean recant?!" Demerus asked.

"We will confirm your joining later. But, as already explained, joining us is not that simple. You have not yet seen the horrors that we face. If we show you these horrors, you might have a better picture and can make that decision yourself." Kyros smiled.

"I don't understand. Your grandfather does his best to convince us to join and become vassal forces to your family, and now that we do, you reject us?"

"It's because you don't have those curses yet. We originally assumed that saying those vows would get you to be part of us officially. But alas, Fate disagrees." Kyros shook his head.

"What curses?"

"The curses of Fate, of course. But there's no time to explain. For now, I promise to let you read one book from my library. Not one for each of you, but one for all of you. Still, it's better than flipping through some obscure pages. If, after this trial, Fate finally sees you as part of the Steele family, then let us make those vows. For now, start the process." Kyros sat down and touched the two wings.

Strange dark energy suddenly appeared.

Martha and Puff saw it.

"Do you feel it, Puff? That power is more refined." Martha mentally communicated to Puff.

"Indeed. That is really the heir to Lord Kyriachos's power."

The Champion mages were almost horrified at what they saw that they took a step back.

"Showing all our dark side, huh?" Mezal laughed.

"It makes sense. I guess Fate knows that we can trick people into joining our family."

"Champions. What are you doing? Begin!" Kyros ordered.

Faye had already taken a few steps back.

"Faye. Start. Your element is needed to start it." Demerus called out.

"But... Brother!"

"He said it himself. We are in a strange land. You've seen the barriers that surround this place. Our choice to survive is to fight with them. For now, we help them. We can decide whether to join them or to fight them after this whole ordeal that they claim is a test for them." Demerus answered.

"... Alright." Faye began and harnessed the wind.

The magic began to appear. First, it was Faye, then Triona, then Demeerus, then Stellya, and finally, Ressi brought out her magic.

The magic created a circle formation. It was as if the group was imitating the elemental formation that was used in alchemy.

The mages could somehow perceive that this was an Enchantment circle. But what they did not realize, that this was a technique that was so advanced that it only existed in the Highlands.

The Blood Calamity was secretly watching. She was curious at the crazy antics of Kyros. This was her bone wing! How would he achieve the power of flight with it?

Kyros gathered the dark energy, and the power of Devour appeared. It started to draw in the various elements being released, and the pattern of release that the mages followed became clearer.

"This... This is! An Energy Conversion Circle! Impossible!" Demerus saw it. At first, he thought Kyros was simply allowing them to create the energy needed to start Enchantments, but the way Kyros used it was so advanced. It incorporated another Path of Creation and harnessed the energy all the more.

"Focus!" Kyros shouted.

The Champions were all jolted out of their amazement. They felt as if they were mere acolytes serving before a Grand Master.

"Groundless Enchantment...!" The Blood Calamity was horrified at what she saw. Only Saints were capable of doing this!

Kyros was so excited. He had wanted to do this ever since he was reborn to this timeline. The knowledge he learned from Calaminus was so amazing, but Kyros never had the necessary things or allies to do it. He even had to borrow an alchemy chamber from the Lizards to create weapons and test his knowledge. And now, with the Champion's help, he could create the powerful teachings of Calaminus to perform Artifact Merge.

"But that's impossible! He can't combine my bones to his body!" The Blood Calamity saw it and wondered.

It was then that Kyros brought out the Cloak of Darkness.

It was only then that the Blood Calamity fully recognized the Cloak.

"That's Prince Azarret's Cloak!" On their first fight, she could sense that Kyros was wearing a magic cloak. But she never thought it would be Azarret's cloak! The Cloak of Darkness had disappeared after that war so long ago. And now, it resurfaced on the hand of Kyros.

Kyros stabbed down the Bloodied Sword and took off his Dark Armguards and even the holster that held the chain Kyros used to fight along with the two balefire axes.

Using the Bloodied Sword, the Cloak of Darkness, and the wings of the Blood Calamity as the base materials, Kyros was slowly causing the nearby armor and tool also to be harnessed into the darkness. As a result, it was now making it easier for the darkness to move in them.

"With this, using your chains with your darkness would gradually reduce the cost of using magic points. And that will also allow you to harness magic into your Dark Armguards. If you didn't have Kyriachos's darkness, you wouldn't be able to freely mod the Cloak of Darkness, you know." Calaminus laughed.

[Artifact Enhancement of Fate Bound artifacts detected with Destiny artifacts, Wings of The Succubus, and Chains of Balefire. Use the Temple's power to aid in forge? ]

A notification appeared.

"I thought so!" Kyros laughed and selected yet.

At that moment, Kyros added the last element needed. The power to unite and merge appeared. The Temple's Holy Light brightened.

The Blood Calamity cursed as she felt a strange suction drawing out of her.

"No! It's pulling me out!" The Blood Calamity panicked.

"No choice! I have to fully merge with this soul so it won't suction me out!" The Blood Calamity made her decision.