The walls of Ordran shook with the fury of the Abyssal Dominion's onslaught.
Ballistae cracked, flaming arrows streaked across the sky, and siege beasts—towering amalgamations of necrotized muscle and arcane bone—slammed into the sandstone ramparts like living battering rams. Screams echoed above the dust cloud rising over the battlefield, punctuated by the haunting war cries of the undead.
Rael moved like a force of nature.
Clad in his abyss-forged armor, each swing of his greatsword cleaved through ranks of defenders. Crimson runes glowed on his blade—Executioner's Will, a weapon now bound with both soul and shadow.
Beside him flew Kaelene on her obsidian wyvern, raining fire and sorcery upon ballista nests. Her hair whipped in the wind, and her eyes burned with bloodlust.
"Elira, breach the gate!" Rael ordered through the mental link granted by the Abyssal System.
Elira's response was a sultry hum. She stood before the iron-clad inner gate and traced a sigil midair. A massive explosion followed, collapsing the metal gate inwards and sending defenders flying.
[Objective 1: Breach the outer wall – COMPLETE]
With a mighty roar, the Abyssal Army poured into Ordran.
In the opulent depths of the High Spire Palace, Varkhan stood beside the veiled woman, her belly faintly showing. Her aura flickered with both abyssal energy and something… foreign.
He scowled.
"She hasn't manifested the child's power," he hissed to the robed advisor. "Was this a waste?"
"Not yet," the man replied. "But the Vault will not open without her."
Behind them loomed a sealed chamber—its ancient stone etched with golden glyphs and chains of divine origin. Known only to the royal bloodline, the Vault of Origins was a relic from the early Divine Era.
"What's inside?" Varkhan asked.
"Power," the advisor said. "The kind even Abyssal Lords should fear."
As Rael marched through the blood-streaked streets, his System pinged.
New Optional Objective: Secure the Vault of Origins.Location: High Spire District.Threat Level: S-Rank.Potential Rewards: Divine Artifact (Unregistered), City Core Upgrade, ???.Priority: Critical.
"Elira, Azura, Seris—rendezvous at High Spire," Rael growled. "We claim the Vault."
Azura responded first, her eyes glowing with divine runes. "There's divine energy there, Rael… Old magic. You'll need my help to unlock it."
"Then stay close."
As they advanced, resistance thickened. Elite city guards armed with divine-forged weapons surged in disciplined lines. One captain, garbed in lion-themed armor, confronted Rael directly.
"Turn back, Abyssal scum! Or die on sacred ground!"
Rael's reply was cold.
"I am sacred ground now."
With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed Dominion Pulse, a wave of black pressure that buckled the stone beneath him and sent the captain flying through a wall.
Kaelene descended from above, her wyvern screeching as it unleashed a torrent of infernal fire on entrenched troops.
[Objective 2: Locate the Vault of Origins – COMPLETE]
The Vault shimmered behind layers of magical wards.
Rael placed his hand against it—and the glyphs reacted. Blood from Elira's earlier union pulsed within him, resonating with the child she now carried.
Requirement Met: Abyssal Lineage Key PresentUnlocking Seal…Warning: Divine and Abyssal forces in conflict. Stand by for countermeasures.
Elira joined him, her hand finding his. Her voice was quiet. "Do it. I'm ready."
Rael nodded—and together, they channeled their energy into the Vault.
The seal cracked.
The doors parted with a seismic groan.
Inside was a cathedral-like chamber, its walls aglow with inscriptions in languages long forgotten. Floating above a pedestal was a crystal orb—a Divine Core, pulsating with celestial and abyssal resonance.
Item Acquired: Divine Core of SovereigntyDescription: Can fuse with territory core to ascend Domain Rank.Trait: Balance of Abyss and Divinity – unlocks Hybrid System Path.Requirement: Territory must be upgraded post-siege.
Rael reached out.
When his fingers touched it, energy surged through his veins—divine and abyssal at war, then at peace.
New Quest Unlocked: Ascension of DominionObjective: Fuse Divine Core with Abyssal Core.Reward: Sovereign's Realm Upgrade.Warning: Interference from foreign deities expected.
As the final skirmishes died out, the citizens of Ordran knelt before the shattered remnants of their protectors.
Rael stood on the highest spire, flanked by Elira and Azura.
"From this day forward," Rael declared, his voice amplified across the city, "Ordran is no longer ruled by weak kings and divine cowards."
"It is part of the Abyssal Dominion."
Cheers erupted from the ranks of his army.
"Let those who wish to serve, rise."
[Objective 3: Claim the city – COMPLETE]
Later that night, Kaelene and Elira approached him in the throne room.
They knelt.
"Tonight, we celebrate," Elira said, her smile playful and radiant.
Kaelene leaned in. "And you will honor your Queens, Sovereign."
As the night deepened, passion and power entwined. And somewhere in the realm of stars, ancient eyes turned toward the child growing in Elira's womb—and the sovereign who dared fuse darkness with light.