Chapter 84: Father Dagon

Vorazun drew three psionic bombs from her phase crystal, then handed one each to Artanis and Selendis. After explaining how to use them, the three of them infused the bombs with their respective psionic powers.

They were also testing which kind of power inflicted the greatest damage upon the dark entity. Although they had already conducted experiments in the evil god’s city of R’lyeh, Artanis and the others still did not know that the force they faced here was also connected to the Deep Ones.

To further increase the likelihood that the psionic bombs would reach the center of their target, Artanis and the others coated their surfaces with a layer of their own power, helping the bombs break through the outer defenses of the vortex.

The light and tremors produced by the three explosions were all absorbed and blocked by the vortex. The three of them were unharmed, but they had no way of knowing whether the bombs had achieved their intended effect. Since they could not afford to expend any more of their strength before the battle ahead, they could only fly toward the surface.

What they did not know was that the black “Holy Sword” at the vortex’s center had not escaped unscathed. When the first psionic bomb broke through the vortex’s outer layer and entered its interior, the Holy Sword was driving itself into the spatial rift, yet part of its structure still remained exposed.

Thus, when the bomb exploded, the Holy Sword was forced to consume some of the power it had used to open the passage in order to protect its own structure. This cost it thirty percent of its strength. The passage, which the plan had called for opening completely in a single attempt, could now be opened only to seventy percent. Yet, to prevent those outside from discovering what had happened, the Holy Sword could do nothing but suppress its rage and frenzy, pretending that nothing was wrong.

As soon as it sensed the three outsiders departing, the Holy Sword immediately thrust all its remaining power into the spatial rift. There was no more time for hesitation. If it delayed any longer, the plan might well fail.

After returning to the surface, Artanis and the others saw the vortex suddenly accelerate. In the space of a breath, it became a pillar of black water, surging rapidly from the seabed toward the heavens.

“So the bombs were not completely ineffective after all.”

Artanis reached that conclusion almost at once. It was not beyond his expectations, but it also proved that whoever controlled the pillar of water was not a foolish monster like the Deep Ones.

“Monsters are cunning. Victory in this battle will not come easily.”

Selendis clenched her fists. The evil gods of the forces of chaos were rarely known for their cunning; after all, their sources of power were chaos and ignorance. The only exception was the Child of Chaos, Nyarlathotep—the one who had suddenly appeared in Midgard earlier and lured El away. It seemed that this crisis had all been accounted for in his calculations.

“No matter what schemes the evil gods may harbor, we must do everything in our power.”

Vorazun drew her twin-bladed scythe. The black pillar of water before them had already burst from the sea, joining ocean and sky together. The formerly clear heavens darkened in an instant, while the white clouds turned crimson, as though announcing the disaster to come.

Anthony, having driven away every living creature in the vicinity, stepped through a golden portal and arrived beside them. He glanced at the black pillar of water in the distance, then swiftly looked away. Though, as a Templar mage, his spiritual discipline was already formidable, it could not compare with that of the Templars who specialized in such matters. Nor did he possess the protection of the Khala. If he watched for too long, he might well be tainted by the dark power.

“Lord Artanis, I have evacuated all life from the surrounding waters and activated every magical array.” Anthony reported his work to Artanis, then cast another worried glance at the sky. “I have done everything possible to conceal the anomaly here, but the mirror dimension may not withstand the battle that follows.”

“Thank you for your assistance, Mage Anthony. We discussed this possibility beforehand. We need only do what is within our power. After that, we can only do everything we can and leave the rest to fate.”

Artanis nodded. They had anticipated the situation Anthony described. Their enemy had arrived with overwhelming force and had deliberately chosen this moment; some great action was bound to follow.

As they spoke, the entire sky turned black. Everywhere their eyes could reach was shrouded in clouds of blood-red mist. The only light in that realm came from the psionic blades in the hands of the three Templars.

“It has begun.”

A strange fluctuation came from the center of the pillar. Artanis immediately realized that the spatial passage had been opened.

The Holy Sword’s all-out strike destroyed seventy percent of the seal. At long last, the capital of the Deep Ones descended upon this world. Yet the city itself was not the most important thing. Far more significant was the being sealed within it—the creator of the Deep Ones, Dagon.

“Roar!”

A bizarre cry rang out from within the pillar of water. The constantly rotating column abruptly came to a halt. Then a pair of claws emerged from its center and tore open the space as though ripping through cloth, shattering the mirror dimension as well.

A moment later, a colossal, hideous giant stepped through the ruptured space. Its grotesque head resembled that of a Deep One, while six arms sprouted from its body. Below the waist, it possessed a serpentine form like that of a giant eel.

The instant the monster appeared, the entire sea churned violently. Artanis and the others immediately realized what stood before them: a demigod, a demigod of the Deep Ones, a demigod powerful enough to destroy Midgard.

Midgard was at its weakest point of defense. Asgard was occupied with suppressing a rebellion by the Dark Elves. Kamar-Taj was resisting an invasion from the Dark Dimension. The defensive fleet of the Protoss Empire had yet to arrive. As for the humans of Midgard, the Avengers still lacked the strength to oppose a demigod, while the great nations continued to act independently.

However, this demigod had been sealed for more than a hundred million years, and his strength had naturally declined severely. Realizing this, Artanis and the other three immediately launched their attack. They could not allow the evil god to recover his power.

Dagon noticed their assault and let out an enraged roar. At once, a black longsword flew up from the depths of the sea and was caught by one of his hands, blocking the attacks of Artanis and the others.

With their assault repelled, the four immediately split into three directions and attacked Dagon. In response, Dagon gathered the surrounding black water into five weapons, forcing all four of them into constant defense.

To prevent himself from being influenced by the dark power, Anthony could only strengthen his own defenses while assisting Vorazun in her assault. Together, they dealt with one of Dagon’s arms, while the two Templars who were completely unaffected by the darkness each engaged another. In this way, they barely managed to hold him to a draw.

Dagon realized that he could not defeat them quickly and let out another furious roar. Several tsunamis, each more than a hundred meters high, appeared in an instant and rolled toward the land. At that moment, the spatial array and stasis barrier laid down earlier by Selendis and the others activated as well, blocking the tsunamis unleashed by Dagon.