The defiance thrummed with full power, its thrusters coming to life as all ten of its battle ships followed it closely behind. Changes had met the fleet of the thousand blades, changes that had brought both good and bad tidings to the forces dedicated to ridding the Molrik system of the taint of the abyss and Moyo, the titan blade and planetary force commander sat at his command deck, fingers stapled together within a sound barrier that prevented any soul except him from hearing what was being said in the meeting with the commanders of fleet thousand blades.

He held his tongue, teeth grating against each other as he watched the masters decide their ties to the ruler Ajax,

Ruler Ajax omega blade,

It sounded as unbelievable as it was sinister and Moyo didn’t trust himself to restrain his anger should he speak,

“I say we cut ties with him” Duval said for the fifth time,

Master Killian gave his trademark sigh, resting back on the chair he sat through the hologram Moyo watched,

“We might as well cut off a limb, Ajax has been with us for decades, has bore us no ill will and has fought to defend our holdings and properties across the wide galaxy we own, cutting him off would be cutting off a valuable weapon, no matter how volatile it is” he explained,

“Are you saying this from a place of pragmatic reasoning or from a place of some bond you forged with him?” Duval accused his brother,

Killian narrowed his eyes as Skatha typed, his HUD coming to life as they all paused to see what she wrote,

“He speaks from a place of deductive reasoning and not of unwarranted anger as you’re showing Duval” she started,

“we’re in the middle of a great war, Ajax’s new path has shown itself to be most effective at dealing with blight forces and if the words of the titan blade are to be believed, even an elite of one of the ravaging powers had to retreat before his might. This gives us an advantage you’re about to throw away” she finished,

They doubted him now, Moyo could see it,

Duval behind the mask must had been boiling with anger giving the rigid posture he showed,

“And what advantage is that Skatha?” he asked, his voice burning with anger,

“If we are the spear of the armada thrusted into this system, then the omega blade can be the tip of the spear” Altair finally spoke up, staring directly at Moyo through the communication hologram,

Moyo hated this, he hated politics and he knew deep down that if Martha had been here, he’d had left it to her, but he had no choice right now, not if he wanted to maintain the peace. He maintained eye contact with Altair, his gaze revealing nothing as his stapled hands rested on the hilt of dominion, his head on his hands. The masters turned to their ruler,

“Make no mistake, all we’ve faced were the easy parts, we’ve begun to penetrate deeper into the rings of this system and I expect either the elite known as Vesh or one of the brothers of the cult of the undying hand to show up along with their cult forces” he started,

“This means we’ll be fighting as much as three different forces working together, if we have a weapon in the form of Ajax then believe me when I say I’ll take it. Besides, with the eyes of the brigade on him, the best we can do is offer up our loyalty to a reasonable extent during this war, not even the brigade or the council would be stupid enough to throw away such a weapon, isn’t that right Moyo?” Altair finished as all eyes turned to him,

Moyo shut his eyes tight as he settled his thoughts,

“What would you have me say lord Altair?” he asked softly,

The masters all seemed taken back by his calm almost forlorn voice, Altair however nodded,

“You are a part of our family, a valuable ally and one of the rising forces of the archailect, whatever you say would be heard with respect” Altair replied casually,

Moyo stared for a few seconds before speaking,

“Pardon my question, but what sort of man do you think Ajax is?” he asked,

“a brutal fighter, one who would do anything to get results and now whatever is in his path to get there” Altair replied,

Moyo nodded,

“I’ve recently been thinking back on my training with Ajax, distant memories as they are now” he started,

“I remember when I was eager to get strong, when bitterness and rage filled my heart and I subjected myself to the most brutal of trainings, of a lava bathe and of merciless beatings for day and nights”

Moyo could see the look of horror on Killian and Skatha’s faces, he was sure the same was on that of Duval as well,

“Then I felt a closeness to Ajax, a sort of father figure who although was putting me through pain so great, I was sure my nerves became frayed, wanted the best for me” he continued as he sat up, his eyes glowing softly,

“I became a machine of pure brutality, I was known as the man on the path of the crushing blade and deep down, although I didn’t admit it to myself, I knew I was slowly becoming his tool of destruction, for what reason though, I had no idea, not until today when he told me” he said,

“he’s informed you of his past I see” Altair said softly as Moyo nodded,

“’when he left, all I knew how to do was kill, an ascender higher than me in rank?, no problem, I’d just beat them to death with pure strength, relishing every moment, and as ashamed as I am to say it now, I did enjoy it” he said,

“Then I met my family, Martha, Annika, Idris, Boyle and Ayo” he said,

“They rekindled something in me, the need to protect and to strive to be stronger for the weak, not just to be a machine of destruction, not to let my bitterness for the archailect consume me”

He sat up and stared hard at them,

“Now I want you to imagine what I’d had become if I hadn’t met them, if I hadn’t developed the love to protect those who came to me for guidance and protection, imagine if I walked the path Ajax intended for me from the onset” he asked,

“you’d had gotten the path of the death blade or something akin to it” Altair replied as Killian stared at him in a whole new light, shuddering,

Moyo nodded, finally, they were beginning to understand,

“Yes, my goal would had been the simple act of pure destruction, I would had been the manifestation of his wrath and anger towards the archailect, and in some way, I’m sure he’s glad and disappointed at the same time I didn’t become that” he said,

“Ajax is all that and more, he’s loyal, he’ll protect those under him, but his need for revenge and anger at those he felt had contributed to his current dilemma supersedes his good will. So far as there are enemies in his path, believe he’ll cut them down, however when those enemies are gone and all that are left are those in the archailect with whom he has a score to settle with, I believe that is where we’d be having issues” he completed,

The masters and Altair were silent, staring at him in a whole new light, he sighed, as he spoke,

“I made him a promise, Ajax wants to dig to the bottom of the issue with his father, and I’d do my best, I owe him that much” he said,

“however, when all that is said and done, I fear what his actions might be, I fear for what Ajax might become after that, I fear we might need to actually have to stand against him” he said,

“Moyo, do you know something we don’t?” Killian asked softly,

Moyo shut his eyes,

“I cannot accuse him, but all I’m saying is that there might come a time when we need to stand against Ajax, can we do it?, because I don’t have it me” he confessed, squeezing his blade tight,

“there’s no shame in admitting that Moyo” Altair said,

“For now we stick with him, we try to change him, we show him support, and hopefully we can get through to him” Altair said,

Moyo stared at the faces of all the masters and Altair, he could se it, the defeat, they knew as well Ashe did,

There was no changing Ajax omega blade,

He accepted it, he knew what he had to do, what he had to reach before facing Ajax, ruler rank, anything short and Ajax would end him the exact moment he thought Moyo had betrayed him. The meeting ended with their next targets, Moyo bringing down the sound barrier as Urne stepped close to him, noting his mood as she glanced at Idris who she had been conversing with,

“Lord?” she asked softly,

Moyo glanced at her as he gave her a weak smile,

“We have our next assignment, put me through to all the ships under our force, video communication” he ordered,

“I comply” Urne replied as she turned to the crew of the command deck who responded with a salute and complied,

He watched as all ten ships appeared, watching as the faces of his guard who led their troop forces along with the thousands under them appeared, staring in silence at him. Moyo stood up, arms wide,

“For those who don’t know me, I’m the titan blade, but please, call me Moyo” he started, he saw Urne flinch, her training not permitting her to even try it,

“We were called to war, we were given the mandate to take back this system, and we have lost so much already. Friends, family, brothers, acquaintances, I dare say lovers” he continued,

“and still we will lose more, this I know, nothing we can do about it, but I promise you, I swear it, your deaths will not be in vain, I will fight, I will do my utmost to ensure you’re protected, I will fight to my dying breath to do that” he said,

“And it falls on us all, to protect those weaker than us, to ensure the horrors of this war don’t take those who cannot protect themselves, so please” he said as he knelt on the ground next to his throne,

He watched as their eyes became wide as saucers, watched as the thousands stared at him in shock, a master, an existence so far above whatever they could imagine kneeling to them,

“please, take the person next to you as your family, we’re all we have, I think of the children who are now orphans, I think of those who wouldn’t see their loved ones again, I think of those who wouldn’t meet those they love any longer and it shatters my heart” he said,

“We are one, and if we are to fall, we will fall as one, every single soul matters, from the lowest acolytes to the highest diamonds, we will bleed, we will win and we will die as one if it ensures the survival of the innocents. So, as we march into this world, go with the thought that you’re fighting for a greater cause” he completed as he stood,

The roars that answered his proclamation echoed through the feed, Urne staring at him with such devotion that Moyo could see it through her, Idris standing tall. The chants started from somewhere, of where, Moyo had no idea, but soon enough even his guard were carrying it, the chant of the titan blade, Moyo staring resolutely, his HUD blinking,

Notice: you have won the hearts of thousands, you now have the choice of turning them into something greater, a force that will last.

L: intriguing….

Moyo frowned when he stared at the notification, he already had the titan guard, he had the clan and he had the order of the titan, what would he need a force for?. However the message from the being known as L also gave him concern, it seemed like it was expecting him to take it. He sighed,

“I’m going to regret this” he murmured as he accepted,

ARCHAILECT NOTICE: the titan has managed to sway the hearts of thousands into following his creed!, the legion of the titan has been awarded to the thousands who genuinely want to fight under his creed, all hail the titan blade!

Legion of the titan: this is a cohesive force of those who believe in the creed of the titan and would stand by it, the creed to protect and avenge the weak. Not to be mistaken for the order of the titan, those who venerate the titan, these are those who would obey his every command without question.

Rewards:

+200 to all attributes +10% ascension speed +1000 diamond coins 1 rare weapon Once a day summon titan shield Titan shield: a bubble made from the aura of the titan, deflects all attacks both archailect and abyssal

Moyo stared wide eyed at the notification, glancing at Idris who stared also and then at the thousands who fell silent before roaring in reply, carrying the chants louder, Moyo raised one hand in salute,

“let’s go wreak things” he said with a grin,

Urne cut off the transmission, in her hand a gun, or some construct that looked like a projectile weapon, he analysed it,

Maw of the navigator: a rare construct that uses a combination of mana, intent and aura to lay devastating damage on foes, soul bound to owner,

She bowed at the waist to him again,

“Lord titan blade” she said, veneration in her voice,

His HUD pinged again,

Notice: you have reached the limit of the first tier of veneration, you have two options:

Pour it into your attributes: +500 to all attributes, Attempt to upgrade your aspect to tier 2 (probability 90%)

Moyo sat down, staring at his options, what did it mean by upgrading his tier?, placing a call to Kairos, the king of monsters answered almost immediately,

“Moyo, you keep thrusting yourself in the spotlight, it’s hard to shield you from the gazes of those who would come for you” he said with a smile,

Moyo winced,

“Apologies, not intentionally” he replied,

“oh please don’t stop!, the legion of the titan?, now every ruler, ancient and primordial would be attempting to recreate what you just did!, how did you do it though?” Kairos asked inquisitively,

Moyo shrugged,

“Gave a speech to my forces and they decided to follow me” he replied,

Kairos nodded,

“You do inspire loyalty, while most would seek to inspire fear, never stray from that path titan blade” he said,

Moyo nodded and explained his issue to Kairos,

“Evolve your aspect” Kairos said simply,

“Why?’ Moyo asked,

“if I’m right and I’m rarely wrong by the way” Kairos started,

“you’ll soon need to face primordials and ancients, now due to your…...ah…bizarre ascension method, you don’t have the prerequisite tier of aspects, honestly I’m surprised you could even contest aspects with Rieus when he came for your world” Kairos said as he stroked his beards,

“What tiers are the aspects?’ he asked,

“Tiers 1 to 5” he replied,

“And what are you?” Moyo asked cautiously,

Kairos simply smiled, Moyo nodding as he shuddered, as expected of the king of monsters,

“Now you know why Rieus was so mad at your effrontery at contesting a single world with him, it was a shame and stain on him, bested by a master and a fledgeling primordial no less” Kairos said laughing,

“New ancients are tier 1, crossing to tier 2 around the peak of ancient, tiers 3 to 5 are exclusive for primordials, but your aspect had the strength to throw off the leash of a tier 4 aspect, albeit one diluted through a lesser being, it’s quite impressive nonetheless” Kairos said,

Moyo nodded and picked the evolution, immediately a dizzy feeling settling across him, staggering as Idris held him, both of them wide eyed as they felt the absence of his aspect. And then it came back in a rush of power,

Stronger, better, more powerful,

Moyo’s entire frame blazed with power as veins of aspect shone through his body the power threatening to rip his master ranked body to shreds. In a moment of clarity, he tore a pathway through to the aspect crystal core of his ship, slapping his hand on it and willing it to siphon the excess power. Like a glutton it did, swallowing the power the titan poured into it without so much as shaking. He had no idea how long it went on for, but by the end of it Moyo watched the core glowing brightly, shola appearing as she stared wide eyed at him,

“Crystal capacity is at 90%!” she said,

Moyo groaned as he fell to the ground, even all that hadn’t been enough to fill the crystal, he heard Kairos chuckling as the call was still active,

“I wondered if you’d be able to contain it all” he mused,

Moyo frowned at him,

“What do you mean?” he asked,

Kairos raised his hands placatingly,

“I meant you no ill will, your body no master how resilient it is, is that of a master, not a ruler” he started

“Although it has been reforged in aether over and over as you ascended, it is still not quite at the pinnacle of strength and resilience, your path and body type however make up for that deficiency and it seems it had allowed you to cross over completely” he explained,

“What happened if it hadn’t been strong enough?” Moyo asked, dreading the answer,

“Then you’d had either lost your mortal form which rarely happens by the way, or lost the upgrade” Kairos said,

“now you know why greater beings rarely let those beneath them wield their aspects” he said as Moyo nodded,

He’d had been careful around Kairos, it seemed the primordial sometimes took him for some sort of experiment. Kairos sighed,

“Although picking the former option would had evolved all your attributes to the pinnacle of strength, the attributes of a sage” he said nonchalantly,

Moyo stared shocked at Kairos,

“why?, why did you make me choose this then?” he asked, anger in his voice,

“You would had exploded, every time you used them you would had exploded” Kairos said simply, grinning,

He had baited Moyo, like a father trying to prove a point,

“Pinnacle attributes belong only to rulers and strictly ancients and primordials, and most times not in everything all at once till their aspects at tier 2 and can stitch them back together when they do it for the first time, why did you think they’d rather use their spiritual forms than fight physically?” Kairos asked amused,

“you’re a master, it would mean countless pain and deaths for you, believe me you don’t want that” Kairos replied,

Moyo nodded reluctantly,

“Look on the bright side, now you have greater resistance against the aspect of the abyss, elites and all. They’d still burn you if I’m guessing right, but not as much as an ordinary master” Kairos said,

Moyo was beginning to see it was the better choice, he got up as his HUD blinked with numerous notifications,

Notice: congratulations, your aspect has been upgraded to tier 2

Those who wield your aspects now have a greater amount and better control. Increased resistance against abyssal aspects and blight attacks Core has been strengthened further Ashe as grown stronger

Moyo for the first time in a long time brought up his HUD to stare at it,

Name: Moyosore titan blade

Path: Titan blade

Body: Draconic Titan (+90% defense against mental attacks)

Bloodline name: titanic body

Race: Human

Rank: master (primordial)

Level: 575 (100 points)

Titan Aspect: Tier 2 (2% to tier 3)

Legendary core user: mountain stronghold of the titan

Title: bane of the hive, draconic slayer

Skills:

Deific Greed of Esu (L)-750 Dance of Sango (R)-750 Wrath of Oya (R)-750 Realm of Olorun (R)-750 Step of Ogun (R)-750 Ferocity of Oshosi (R)-800 Digi Aye (R)-750

Edicts:

Da pa da Shi Irapada

Attributes:

Titans might: 6050 Titan’s Tenacity: 6072 Titan’s Ashe: 6000 CNS: 5100 DEX: 4720 INT: 4105

BOONS

Resistant to rucar poisoning Resistant to lava Resistant to razorback poisoning

Soul abilities of the titan

Gates of the titan Deific vault of the titan Throne of the titan Rune of the draconic slaying titan: This mantle has been bestowed upon you due to your consecutive victories over the draconic race before reaching expert. It affects both your vision and vitality, you now have the eyes worthy of the draconic specie and a body worthy of one, and your mantle manifests as runes in your eyes and written on your skin. Runic robe of the draconic slaying titan: this evolved form of your mantle has been infused with the aura of a titan. Offering full body protection at the expense of your endurance, it shields the titan effectively from any expert rank authority, willpower, and mantle of lower strength and moderately at the cost of 10 endurance per second for any authority, willpower, and mantle of greater strength. Ps: mantles of master rank and above can deal sufficient damage to the mantle reverting it to its base form

Bloodline name: titanic body

Attributes:

Ability to withstand attacks two ranks above current rank perfectly Absorbs force of attacks given to power ascender Absolute defence against any element and toxin

Note: as the progenitor of the titan body, you get:

Absolute defence against aspect laced attack weaker or on par with current strength of the titan aspect Absolute defence against attacks of any rank within the ranking systems of the archailect

WEAPONS OF THE TITAN BLADE

Name: Dominion

Type: Katana (sword)

Tier: Arcane Mythical rank

Evolution: Mythical

Attributes:

Indestructible: Nothing short of the divine weapon of a supreme being can destroy dominion Void: Dominion is a never-ending chasm of ruthless essence, aether, aura and aspect absorption of whatever foe it manages to cut Domain: Dominion is now an extension of the will of the titan and as such, automatically carries the core-realm of the titan within it. Any enemy that it cuts automatically is subject to the effects of the titans’ realm of Olorun even without the realm physically being present. Black Hole: Dominion taps into an upgraded form of the affinity of gravity the titan wields. Black hole ensures whatever part of the blade comes in contact with the body of a foe begins a slow but steady inward shattering and compression that will slowly but ultimately swallow the entirety of the foe.

Staring at his full chart made him understand just how far he had come along and he was proud of himself, he wasn’t that trembling fledgling blind and lost in a cave in some dungeon looking for a way to survive. He wasn’t that brash advocate spoiling for a fight and willing to risk his life in a battle, he wasn’t that silver ranker who thought he could take on the entire battles by himself, he had grown.

As he stood up and called his aspect to his hand, watching the power coalesce into a ball of purple aspect, he nodded grimly. He had a goal now, to reach the rank of ruler, to do anything possible to attain that rank and he’d get there, he owed it to everyone whop had pushed him along on his journey, it was time to get serious about ascension again.