The Eden Crisis
Chapter 15: Assault on Sanctum

Sanctum is being ravaged. How is this possible? How is it even burning? This is a video game. “This is the conquest quest” Apollo says. “The director of Shadow XIII must have started it.” “What is that?” I ask. Apollo continues. “The conquest quest is a possible quest once you claim a territory. I, for example, have the tower in Vetus Silenda. I could if I wanted declare a battle on any other territory claimed by another player. The designer of the game put the quest in as a means to prolong the game. Some players will naturally want to dominate as a status symbol, he once told me. Another example: Raziel has control of all of Hullez. I’m not sure what the director owns.”

There are a lot of questions in that explanation. “Who told you that?” I ask. “How does Sanctum burn, exactly? There’s rubble everywhere!” Apollo rubs the bridge of his nose. “We don’t have time, Dante. To keep it short, I know the creator of the game. I work for Dignitas and am a board member, so I know quite a lot about the game. As for the rest, I’ll fill you in later. For now we must help save these people!”

Apollo is right. I nod in agreement. We walk through the burning city. “We need to find my brother but also help anyone along the way,” I say as we continue to walk. I can hear what sounds like a large choir of Sirens singing a song in an unfamiliar language. This must be a song to increase strength, I think. Some of the Sirens are playing instruments. The song is slow at first but picks up speed as it goes along. I’ve never seen a Siren song of this magnitude.

“Apollo,” I ask, “do you know anything about this song that’s playing? It is clearly the Sirens.” “It’s a basic skill for Sirens,” he says. When multiple Sirens join it gets stronger. That’s likely the reason there are so many singing.”

We continue our way through the city. It isn’t long before we come to a dead end. Burning rubble blocks our way. “Drat,” I say. “We need to find another way around—″I‘m interrupted by an ear-shattering scream not too far away. I turn to Apollo. “Let’s go! We gotta find out where that scream is coming from.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Find ɴøᴠel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

We take a different path to find one of the hundreds of screams. We run down an alley and see a lizard monster attacking a player. Apollo shoots a spell at the monster. Nero and I draw our weapons. We both slash through the monster and kill it.

“Get inside!” I shout. “Run!” The female player runs in through the nearest door to escape the ravages of the city. Apollo uses an ice spell and seals the door shut. We continue down the alley until a girl player I don’t recognize stops us.

“I can’t let you go any further into the city,” she says. “Shadow XIII wouldn’t be very happy.” She pulls out a flute. She must be a Siren class. She begins to play a melody. It is a quick melody. Without warning, a burst of wind shoots from her and comes at us.

I use a magical defense spell to defuse the wind, which is strong and knocks us backward. There is little damage from the spell. Nero runs at the siren and slashes at her with his sword. She dodges and kicks Nero in the stomach. She plays a loud, harsh note in her melody. It causes Nero to drop his sword and grab his head in pain.

She isn’t playing it loud enough to affect Apollo or me. I toss a magic crystal and it shatters, casting a lightning-based spell and striking the siren. She stops playing the flute, which lets Nero compose himself.

She begins to use her flute again but is stopped by Nero’s sword going through her chest. He pulls it from her and she falls to the ground. She begs for her life before she shatters into nothingness.

“We need to move on,” I say.” There are more people to save Apollo and Nero following behind me, we continue walking down the alley to get back to the main street, killing monsters along the way. I hear shouting up ahead. It sounds like Cloud. “Hurry, fall back to the teleportation sphere!” I think he yells.

I can see people running to the right to where the teleportation sphere is. We go for them to help with whatever they are running from. As we get closer, I see what they are running from. It’s an Onyx dragon—not the original one but plenty powerful just the same.

It chases after Cloud and the other players. I run faster to catch up. Apollo and Nero chase after me. The dragon has them cornered. I run toward the dragon and use the spell of absolute zero. The dragon is unfazed by the spell. The ice hurts it, but the dragon doesn’t freeze.

Apollo shoots several volleys of fire magic at the dragon, causing the great beast to turn its attention to us. It sucks in air and breathes deadly black flames at us. I place my hands on the ground. “Diamond wall!” A magical wall of diamond appears and blocks the flames.

The wall dissipates, and we continue toward the dragon. Nero uses his sword skill called divine strike. The attack does massive damage to the dragon. Onyx dragons are dark based, so holy attacks are extremely effective. Apollo uses another fire spell, and I finish the beast off with a slash from my sword. It roars and shatters into pieces. I walk up to Cloud and embrace him. He returns the hug but pulls away while keeping a hold on me. “Dante, I’m so glad you’re safe! Vergil told me you were in danger.” he says as he lets me go.

“I’m OK. Vergil told me to help you. He said that Sanctum was under attack and clearly he was right. What the hell is going on?” Cloud shakes his head. “All I know is that Vergil interrupts a meeting of the heads of all the guilds and tells us that Shadow XIII is getting ready to annihilate Sanctum. We mobilized as fast as we could and went on the defense. What happened when we got here was nothing we could have ever prepared for. “He begins to tell us the story, and the events of the attack by Shadow XIII become clear as day to us:

We arrive in Sanctum and go directly to the palace to speak with Raziel. We tell him what Vergil said, but Raziel refuses to acknowledge it. He says he refuses to endanger anyone. It isn’t long after our talk that a bright red light begins to shine in the sky. Shadow XIII must have used a massive dual crystal. A huge dual dome appears over the city, but that is the least of our problems. One of the Shadow XIII members is standing in the city. A large white bolt energy shoots from his hand into the sky. It is a summoning, but not just any summoning. It is a five-star summon, Proto Alpha.

It immediately blasts the city and causes a massive fire. Buildings collapse and players run away. They are blocked, though, by an incoming army of monsters and other players, all controlled by a vast number of sirens.

Lucien, Zack and I immediately leave the palace to destroy the Entitas. We order our members to start evacuating players to the teleportation sphere, and we fight off the monster legion. Claire takes up the fight and with our soldiers and orders her own guild members to fight the monsters as well.

We run through the city and help people as we can. We get to the center of the city and the great Entitas stands there waiting. Its size rivals the great palace of Sanctum. The being is indescribable. It has four legs and four arms, with half its body like a metallic lion. Its torso is like a man’s and its face like a god’s. Proto Alpha has no mouth but it has eyes as red as crimson. Its head is surrounded by a flamboyant headdress.

Proto Alpha has a presence that commands fear, but I know I have to protect you. So I swallow my fear. My friends and I attack the Entitas with all our strength.

Lucien strikes first with a scroll. He unleashes his favorite spell, shadow flare. The black energy ball hits the beast hard, but Proto Alpha attacks us as if nothing happened. The Entitas uses a magical attack on us. We attempt to avoid the attack but the attack radius is too long.

Lucien pulls out a scroll and unravels it. He tosses the ancient paper into the air. “I offer up this seal to unleash the power of the dragon that protects all the living!” A green aura surrounds Lucien and he uses defensive magic on us. He goes even further and uses a regenerative healing spell on us.

The Entitas uses a physical attack and stomps on the ground. The ground shakes and we lose balance. The great summon twists in a three-hundred-sixty-degree motion and hits us with his tail. Lucien’s defensive magic holds up and keeps us from being harmed too much.

I run up to Proto Alpha and use my strongest sword technique, creation slash. I attack the summon with several slashes. Its HP drops only by a bar. Proto Alpha retaliates with a magical attack. Several beams of energy shoot from the summon. Some of the beams hit us and others fly into the city. Proto Alpha doesn’t stop there; it continues its assault with aggressive physical attacks.

I use potions and heal us from the attack, but there is no end in sight. This is truly the ultimate summon. Lucien isn’t going to give up, though. He pulls out one of his level-three scrolls, opens it and tosses it into the air. “I call on the empty void and ask for the power of the ancient dragon that guards the Lord of Creation!” he cries.

He falls to his knees as his HP is sucked from him as a sacrifice to use the scroll. Zack heals him quickly. In the blink of an eye after the healing a large beam of green energy shoots from high above the continent and hits Proto Alpha. The attack eliminates Proto Alpha’s HP, but before the monster disappears it deploys its ultimate move, alpha barrage.

A large swirling ball of white and blue energy flies high into the sky. Flares shoot out from the ball and explode all over the city. Proto Alpha finally disappears for good.

Back in the present, we heal up and continue our mission to save people. Lucien and Zack are in different parts of the city. My job is to evacuate people to the teleportation sphere, but the majority of my squad has been killed. The sirens are being controlled by Sion. The sirens in turn control the archers who control the monsters who have invaded the city. “You have a choice, Dante,” Cloud says. “You can fight Sion and kill him or make him surrender, or you can clear a path to the palace. Which do you choose?”

Why is this happening? I want to get to Raziel, but if Sion dies that would sadden Vergil. I need to try to talk him down, to make him surrender. If the sirens stop their attack then the main force—the players and monsters being controlled by the sirens—should end. “I am going to confront Sion,” I say. Cloud nods and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Be careful,” he says. “Sion is a master of the siren class.” He gives me one more hug. Apollo, Nero and I run into the city.

We run as if going to the palace. My assumption is Sion would be closer to the palace to stop players from interfering with their plans for Raziel. I don’t want to fight Sion. I can’t let anyone else die. I didn’t know Damon well, but he didn’t need to die.

More siren players get in our way. We have no choice but to eliminate them. It pains me to do it, but it’s necessary. We stop in the city square because Apollo wants to say something. “These sirens are being controlled by Sion, but why is he doing this? I know him well enough to know that Sion isn’t a violent person. Someone must be controlling him.” I shake my head. “I don’t know, Apollo. We can only hope that he can be talked down or that we can break the spell.”

Our conversation is interrupted by screams in the distance. I motion for Apollo and Nero to follow me.

We run toward the screams. We get closer and closer until I hear voices coming from a destroyed building. Two people are talking in the rubble of the building.

“Come on, little girl, surely that’s not all you’ve got,” I hear a man say. His tone is laid back and sarcastic. “You’re so pathetic!” a female voice says. “You fools will not succeed.” It’s Claire! I run closer toward her. “Claire!” The Shadow XIII member and Claire both turn to look at me.

“Dante!” Claire says. “I’m so glad you made it. Help me beat Helios here. He’s going for Raziel. Damon is already in the palace.” Helios looks me over. “You don’t seem like a hero,” he says. “Can you beat me or will you fail and get your girl killed?” I notice he is holding a crossbow. Helios lifts his weapon and shoots it at Claire. Just in time, I use my sword and block the attack.

Helios laughs. “Let’s have some fun,” he says. It’s four on one so we should be good. Apollo uses an earth spell and makes pillars of dirt and rock shoot from the ground at Helios, who jumps from pillar to pillar.

He is high up in the air and fires a volley of magical arrows at us. I use a defensive spell to repel the attack. “Sorry, hero,” he crows. “My arrows defuse all barriers.” Obliterating my barrier, the arrows hit Claire, Apollo and me. “Apollo, send us up with your earth magic!” Claire says.

Apollo uses his magic again and sends me, Claire and Nero up toward Helios. We can’t let him maintain a distance or we will lose. Claire jumps and uses one of her sword skills, earth strike. She attacks Helios but he dodges out of the way. Claire ends up destroying the pillar he was on.

Helios lands on another pillar and shoots a few arrows at us. Nero and I block the attack, but Helios is just buying time. The Shadow XIII member uses a dark magic. “Chaotic blast!” A ball of dark energy with purple lightning surging around it comes at us. Not good!

I jump into the air and hold out my hand. “Eos, protect us! Dawn breaker!” Eos’s glyph appears in the air and calls her to me. She appears and uses her power to defend us from the attack.

I call on the magic the original emerald dragon left behind. “Earth breaker!” I hit the dirt and a surge of power shakes the ground and shatters the earth pillars. Nero and Claire land safely next to me.

“All of you, move!” Apollo yells. We quickly do as he commands as he steps forward and uses a powerful fire spell. “Hellfire!” he charges. A stream of fire hits Helios square in the chest and propels him backward. He lands on his feet but falls to one knee.

He dismisses his weapon. “Damn, hero,” he says, “maybe you are strong, but this is not where I die, little man.” He holds up a black stone. My eyes bulge at the sight of it. Is that the onyx artifact?

“Come out, Malthael!” he shouts. Black smoke erupts from the stone and forms into the original onyx dragon. I didn’t know the dragons had names. This is what Vergil and Asher merged into when they used those scrolls back in the platinum tournament.

Helios is gone, as he used the smoke screen to get away. The dragon roars and breathes black fire at us. I put my hands on the ground. “Granite wall!” A stone wall appears and redirects the fire. The flames stop, and before I can release the spell, five long claws break through the wall, nearly hitting me.

Malthael swipes his claws and reduces the wall to mere chunks of rock. “Foolish humans!” he snorts, “Your magic is nothing compared to me.” He swings his tail at us. It hits me and knocks me back. My HP drops a small amount.

Claire urges Nero to let us attack. “He’s an unholy monster,” she says. “We can beat him.” She and Nero both run toward the dragon. Apollo uses an ice spell to slow Malthael down to give them a chance at using their skills.

Claire uses Ragnarok on the dragon and Nero uses divine strike. Both skills deliver several hits that bring the Dragon’s HP to near zero. I need to make up for my lack of help in this fight. I run toward the dragon and use absolute zero. Malthael is frozen in place, and then I deliver the final blow. The great unholy dragon shatters into pieces.

We gather together and I heal us. I hug Claire. “Why are you here?” I ask, my frustration plain to see. “Why didn’t you message me?” Claire pulls away. “I’m sorry, Dante. I went to the meeting of the guilds, and then things suddenly got out of control. I wanted to tell you, but Vergil said he was going to get you and bring you to me.” “All right, then, listen,” I say. “I have to find Sion and get him to stop this madness. I implore Claire to join me. “No,” she says, a slight fear in her voice. “Raziel is in danger.” Apollo and Nero tell us to take on Sion and that they will keep Raziel safe.

Claire feels reassured about Nero and Apollo going to help Raziel, so she agrees to go with me to stop Sion. We separate from Apollo and Nero. We run from the palace toward Sanctum’s cathedral. The singing from the sirens echoes loudly in the sky. We need to stop this spell. Our thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the cobblestone of the cathedral courtyard.

Claire and I turn to see who it is. “Hey, guys!” a voice says. “You’re looking lively.” It’s none other than the great siren himself, Sion Aquaria.

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