Uriel woke up after hearing knocking on the Rhino's hatch. Getting up somewhat annoyed, he opened the hatch and raised an eyebrow upon seeing Jet and Sunny, who wore amused expressions.
"I hope it's important. I was having the best dream of my life," he said, looking at the duo.
"Looks like you're not an early riser."
"It's nighttime," he replied.
"Go clean yourself up and take off those pajamas. Seriously, dinosaurs? Aren't you too old to wear something like that?" Jet asked.
Uriel looked at his sleep pajamas and shrugged.
"They're pretty comfortable," he said with a shrug.
"Give me a few minutes," he murmured, returning to the interior. After quickly washing his face and changing into his usual black suit, summoning the holy mantle and the crown of repose, he was ready. He rejoined the other three masters.
"I assume we're going to a meeting?" he asked.
"Yes," Jet replied.
"...Do you know what it's about?" Sunny asked.
Jet shook his head.
"We'll find out. All I know is that White Feather wants to see us."
The three headed toward the army headquarters, but then passed it by and entered a heavily fortified enclosure. Winter and Dale were already waiting near the gates, looking disheveled and haggard.
Uriel noticed that among the masters, he looked the most presentable, thanks to the enchantment of his crown that provided complete physical and mental rest.
Uriel greeted the masters. Dale nodded since he had known him longer, while he chatted a bit with Winter.
The four—five irregulars entered, being led to a spacious room in one of the underground levels, where two people were waiting.
Master Roan stood before a fake window projecting the night sky. Meanwhile, Saint Tirys remained motionless, seated in an imposing chair with her back straight.
'My chair is better,' Uriel thought.
"Ah. Jet the Ascended, Winter the Ascended, Dale the Ascended, Sunny the Ascended, Uriel the Ascended... welcome. Apologies for the sudden invitation."
"War waits for no one. What did you want to discuss?" Jet asked, having no time for formalities.
"Straight to the point... that's better. There's not much time to prepare," Roan said with a somber tone. He then walked toward the holographic map, which displayed two images.
The first was blurry: leathery wings, a slender body with six segmented legs, a tail ending in a long, serrated stinger, three long necks each with a horrifying circular mouth.
"Our explorers have confirmed that the Devouring Swarm has spawned a new tyrant. A Fallen One isn't as strong or insidious as the Corrupt Tyrant, but it is still a threat to the city's survival. The creature mainly hides within the swarm, controlling it from behind."
"So soon?" Dale asked.
"Yes," Roan replied. "As long as they have things to eat, they will grow and reproduce, giving rise to the possibility that a new tyrant will be born."
"Our priority is to eliminate the tyrant. The Devouring Swarm will descend upon Falcon Scott today. You will be the sword that brings down its Puppeteer."
At that, Jet asked a question.
"How do you know the swarm is coming?"
Roan frowned slightly, but it was Tirys who answered.
"Because our clan will lure it here."
"Why would you do that?" Sunny asked.
Sky Tide took a breath and then turned around.
"Something far more devastating than the Titans is approaching. We need to eradicate other threats before it arrives. If they attack together, the devastation will be unprecedented. The window of opportunity is closing every day, so we can no longer wait passively."
"Saint Tirys, what other threat are you referring to?" Uriel asked seriously.
Tirys was silent for a moment and then replied.
"Recently, the Heart of Darkness has completely disappeared without a trace. Some explorers have reported that something is brewing, and according to speculation, it could be a great Nightmare Creature."
The faces of the five Ascended darkened upon hearing that.
Uriel sighed.
'This is what I get for saying Corrupted Beasts are easy for me now,' he thought with resignation.
"Winter the Ascended will hold back the swarm. Roan will bring down the tyrant. The four of you will ensure that the creature never takes flight again. That is the battle plan."
...
After that came a discussion about the details of the attack against the Devouring Swarm. After the meeting ended, he prepared to gather his subordinates and get ready for battle.
After assembling and explaining the situation, they prepared. Uriel headed to where the other masters were.
As darkness emerged, he looked out into the night. Soon Jet arrived with his group members, though one was missing.
"I just received the news. Roan and his people are approaching. The Devouring Swarm is enraged... I don't know what they did, but it worked. Get ready."
Uriel summoned a memory he had obtained for this occasion. It was the memory he got from killing the previous AK Tyrant—a bow with two powerful enchantments.
The first allowed him to create arrows from his essence, capable of extending and consuming everything within a three-meter radius around them. The second enchantment granted him a higher recovery rate.
In short, he could simply fire arrows without worrying about essence.
Looking at the horizon, it began to blur.
Uriel raised an eyebrow upon seeing how their numbers had increased. Before, there had only been a few hundred thousand; now there were a hundred times that many.
Soon the defense systems activated, opening fire, and with that, Winter used his aspect.
The abominations advanced hastily and desperately. They waited for the signal, but it never came.
After nearly two minutes, an Awakened beast with the white colors of the White Feather clan arrived where they were standing, with a pale and grim expression.
"What happened to sending a signal? Where is the tyrant?" Jet asked.
The young woman clenched her teeth and then said,
"We underestimated it. Besides the tyrant, there is a great beast in the swarm."
Jet's eyes widened as he looked to see if she was lying, but seeing nothing, he clenched his teeth.
"Then where is the signal?"
The young Legacy turned, looking at the Devouring Swarm.
At that instant, two spheres of light of different colors emerged in the distance within the swarm on the other side of the battlefield. The first was far away, behind the swarm, and the other was in the west, near the ocean.
"Father," Soul said in Uriel's mind instantly.
"What's happening?" he replied mentally.
"In the ocean, a great monster is approaching."
Uriel's eyes widened.
"Master Jet," Uriel said quickly.
"There's more trouble. Soul informed me that a great monster is in the ocean right now, near the great beast," he reported, causing Jet and the Ascended present to open their eyes.
"Can you handle it?"
"If it were just one, yes, I could. But there are two. I'll need help."
"Alright. I'll take care of the south. Sunny, Dale, help Uriel in the west," Jet ordered.
"But..." Sunny started before being interrupted.
"That's an order. There's no time to lose."
Uriel wasted no time. He jumped into the rift before him, appearing in the west where the ocean was.
Uriel began running, joined by Dale, and shortly after, Sunny arrived.
Stopping at the edge, he looked at the strip flooded with attacking abominations, swarm beasts swarming over and behind them, and the edge of a high cliff descending toward the coast. The dark immensity of the ocean stretched as far as the eye could see, with moonlight dancing on its surface.
"We'll have to fight our way through. Master Uriel, any advice on killing a great abomination?"
"Uhm... in this case, be careful when fighting them. Their skin is tough. You'll also feel pressure on your bodies. I suggest attacking it in a narrow place due to its size. If you feel it's too much, escape while I deal with what's underwater."
"Understood," Dale said.
Uriel, without hesitation, launched himself downward. Using darkness, he formed a titanic sea serpent made of darkness with white eyes, which sank into the water, generating large ripples on the surface.
Inside the serpent of darkness, Uriel swam at an overwhelming speed, parting the water as he went. He felt the pressure of the ocean as he continued descending. After nearly five kilometers, he finally saw it—or at least its silhouette.
It was a massive, dark blue eel with a huge jagged crest ending in sharp points. Its teeth were long and sharp, its scales joined so tightly that it would be impossible to pierce them easily.
Its size was enormous, reaching two hundred meters in diameter, while its manifestation was only half that size.
Uriel halted his manifestation. In his mind, he could hear Shade's voice.
'Alright, Uriel. This will be complicated. I'll only tell you one thing: you need to have wrath. So much wrath that you can overcome the weight of this thing's existence.'
'I know that,' Uriel thought. He looked at the enormous abomination, which had already noticed his existence. Around it, thousands of abominations of different sizes and ranks positioned themselves like a loyal army.
Uriel heard a roar full of fury and rage that shook the waters.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated on all his memories—the ones that made him angriest. His face contorted into pure, unrestrained rage.
A shout that transformed into a roar came from his mouth. Without doubt, without hesitation, without fear, Uriel launched himself toward the massive eel like a black blur of fury.
The great monster's minions—ranging from Awakened beasts to Corrupted creatures—lunged forward, intercepting the enormous sea serpent, which opened its jaws to reveal titanic fangs.
Uriel bit and tore into the first abomination, feeling the blood on his manifestation's tongue. He grew even more enraged, attacking with greater fury than before. His violent movements generated water blades that cut apart everything that came near him.