Nyon tapped his chin, as if really considering the offer. Guraj’s eyes shined with hope. If she could somehow get Nyon into a one on one duel she could still potentially win and live through this. God she might even take over Nyon’s fleet after she bravely defeated their leader in glorious combat and proved her strength.

But then the words of Nyon dropped her from heaven to hell.

“Yeah about that, no thanks.” Guraj’s expression changed dramatically and she wanted to say or do something, perhaps to condemn Nyon’s cowardness, but Nyon didn’t give her the chance.

All the slayers, vanguards, immortals, wrathwalkers, and ascendants unleashed their firepower upon the new Highlord.

Guraj made an attempt to fight for her life. Her plasma shield was turned to maximum power, and yet all her efforts were resultless when four mindblasts smashed into and broke through her shield.

The total amount of power from Nyon’s forces clashed onto the now defenseless Guraj. The armor was the first to go. The body came next. When all was done, there was no sign that showed Guraj was ever here. Even her weapon was melted into absolute nothing.

“Impressive. Let us three fight to death. Whoever wins will be weakened, and then you can step in and kill us all. We had a very similar idea.” Beside Nyon Alarak spoke. He had been quiet all time when Nyon took care of Guraj. He also made sure none of his forces aided Guraj. He knew it would be useless, and helping Guraj even further would lead to the certain demise of him and his warriors.

But now that Gujra was taken care of Alarak knew he needed to act if he wanted a chance to live. Putting himself in Nyon’s shoes Alarak knew he would kill any potential enemies that threatened his power. If he didn’t prove his worth to Nyon the final victor would end him just like he ended Guraj.

“Indeed.” Nyon silently ordered his forces to clean the stage. “Only I am much stronger than you ever was.”

“How?” Alarak asked curiously. “Where did you get your fleet? From the Daelaam?”

Nyon looked at Alarak coldly, and the ascendant knew he had asked the wrong question. He noticed a sense of impatient on Nyon’s face, and he knew he needed to say something to change Nyon’s mind before it was too late.

“I can be useful to you. Let me live, and my ships will strike against any enemy by your will. Even Amon.” Alarak bargained.

“Do you really think I need you insignificant ships?” Nyon’s ship factories were building ships as they spoke. Among the forty carriers more than half of them were produced rather than captured. Nyon had no need of a mere four carriers.

Alarak didn’t give up. “But you will need someone to aid you if you are to maintain the chain of ascension. Tradition forbids you to influence the duels of lower ascendants as the Highlord, so you’ll need someone, some ascendant, below. He can serve you by monitoring other ascendants and eliminating potential threats.”

“Why would I keep the chain at all?”

“The chain is what makes us special, Highlord. The chain of ascension ensures only the strongest can survive and carry out your bidding. It is in your best interest to keep it and use it to your own advantage.”

Nyon thought about it for a while. “You have convinced me.” He saw another ascendant approaching. “Ahh, Ji’nara.”

“Highlord. How may I serve you?” The female ascendant yielded much quicker. She had no trouble bending her knee to the strongest tal’darim, especially after he saw what Nyon did to Guraj.

Nyon noticed Alarak looking at Ji’nara, feeling threatened. “Alarak will be the First Ascendant. You, Ji’nara, will be the second. Your mission is to report to me on any potential threats. I am not going to make the same mistake Ma’lash did.” Ma’lash had a large opportunity to take him out, but he thought he was in control. Now he was dead.

“I will not disappoint you.” Ji’nara assured, and Alarak said a similar thing. Knowing their lives were secured, they glanced at each other. The situation was clear. Nyon had absolute power, but he needed a lower ascendant to keep an eye on the chain. Both Ji’nara and Alarak were suitable choices and any one of them would work, but Nyon put both of them in place to minimize the possibility of a betrayal. Two betrayals at the same time was much more rare than one. For Nyon it meant more sources of information and more trust in the loyalty of those sources.

For Alarak and Ji’nara it meant the only way to rise was by taking each other out. Thus the competition among the two ascendants.

“Assemble the Death Fleet. We are going to war.” Now gaining control of the entire tal’darim world, Nyon could move on to carrying out his part of the deal. He had never forgotten it was Jean that turned him from a shameful defeated into the Highlord of the tal’darim. Jean had carried out her promise, and now it was his time to carry out his end. He would lead the Death Fleet and join Jean in the battle against Amon.

“With whom, may I ask?” Alarak asked cautiously.

“No.” Nyon denied. “Carry out my command without questions. It is your duty as the First Ascendant.” Alarak backed off apologizing, leaving Ji’nara slightly entertained. She enjoyed watching the one she feared suffer.

The Death Fleet had suffered heavy losses in all the internal and external battles that had occurred. 30 some ships went down in the battle against the Warden fleet. 20 ships went down on each side during the Rak’shir. The original death fleet had lost 70% of its ships and half its power.

Nyon had brought reinforcements, which added the total capital ship count to 60 carriers and 4 motherships. This was still lower than the one hundred ship count Ma’lash had when he led the Death Fleet into the Daelaam airspace, but the Death Fleet was never enough to take down the Golden Armada on its own anyways.

When the Death Fleet warped to the coordinates Jean sent Nyon, they found several other fleets there already.