"Forces of Order are attacking, Lord Chrunus. We require guidance, it is not merely Aurelia!" 1st Cardinal spoke, his voice shaky and on the verge of cracking.
The mist that represented Chrunus churned, and the god of chaos plunged into thought.
"Iguva... It is him... That damned Upstart..." Chrunus grumbled, his voice sounded more like a raging storm than anything else.
The Cardinal's misty shroud dissipated, revealing their true forms.
It rushed like a raging river towards Chrunus, wildly churning and crashing before finally merging with the stormy cloud that represented the god.
The cardinals dared not speak as Chrunus continued, "You, as you are now, are inadequate. Iguva's forces are too dangerous even for you."
The storm subsided. "I will send my slaves to support you. These false gods will weaken them enough for you to destroy Iguva's forces."
The Cardinals stared in amazement.
They would not be alone; Chrunus would grant them support in the form of the lesser gods.
"Lord, when may we expect the support?" The 3rd Cardinal's voice shook.
"Soon... I will call upon them in a week. Do not die. Or else..." Chrunus was not jesting; a failure would mean their death.
[Grand Blessing], The mists rushed away from Chrunus, and they quickly enveloped the 11 Cardinals, empowering them immensely.
The Cardinals breathed in deeply, and they felt their power surge once again.
"Blessing will last for a day. Use it to deal with some of Iguva's forces. Once it expires, run and wait for the lesser ones. I will repeat once more. Death is not allowed; you are to replace lesser ones after Iguva is dealt with. Destroy the city if necessary." With those final words, the mists disappeared, leaving the 11 Cardinals behind.
The god of chaos was clear with his plans.
He would eliminate lesser gods, replacing them with his 12 Cardinals. Once the lesser slave gods were removed from the play, he would finally bring the fight to Iguva.
For all gods, the followers were important; the more mortals worshipped a god, the more powerful one would become.
Chrunus knew that the lesser ones were not loyal; if he was to show weakness, they would revolt. He needed to keep them in line and make good use of them before eliminating them.
It would be a shame to kill over a dozen beings of high class.
However, when it came to eliminating Iguva's forces, it was a worthy sacrifice.
"The lord has spoken, we must fight. Do not die, we must move as a unit!" The 1st shouted.
The grand elemental was destroyed, but it did not mean they were helpless.
Aurelia most certainly possessed a High Class, considering she had killed the 12th Cardinal, but against 11 Cardinals, even she would fail.
And with [Grand Blessing] she would not stand a chance.
"We must depart." The Cardinals bowed as the mist enveloped them.
Their teleportation was quick, and as the mist dispersed, they found themselves near Valar.
While it would be possible to teleport right inside the city and attack Aurelia, it would be foolish to fight her where she was most protected.
Once more, the city would be shrouded by mists of chaos, and yet this time around, the damage was to be not restricted.
The citizens of this city betrayed their god, a sin that was heavier than any other.
The first legion was traitors; the apostate queen dared ruin everything.
Even the nobility, according to their intel, had renounced one true faith in favor of the heresy of the cross.
"They are all traitors. In the name of Chrunus, the capital of Valar will be purged."
"We will draw the forces of Iguva, even worse, the forces of Order itself that the upstart represented. We must crush them!" The mists that usually covered the Cardinals dissipated once again.
The Cardinals stretched their arms forward, their bony fingers trembling in the wind despite their immense power. The mists churned above the city, covering the skies. The darkness corrupted the clouds and the vast blue expanse.
The artificial night fell upon the Valar once more. Soon after, the thick pillar of smoke descended upon the capital, threatening to crush it in its entirety. If it meant crushing the forces of Order, loss of believers mattered not.
God of chaos was fully capable of recouping his loss, despite being a god, his followers provided only a minor supply of power. Of course, nobody knew just how much his followers and the church provided for Chrunus, but while other gods were bound to their followers, Chrunus had no such restrictions.
Instead, his power was a constant, a constant that gave him the divine mandate over any and all entities.
When he had first ascended goddess of order, in her hubris, attempted to stop him; however, it was not enough.
It is said that she was left paralyzed, unable to even move lest she be erased. That was the difference between their patron and all others. It was one of many reasons they could not allow themselves to fail.
Chrunus would not tolerate failure. The pillar of mist approached Valar as the skill [Chaos Storm] activated.
Much like [Divine Storm], it would obliterate everything it touched, and yet just as the pillar shrouded Valar, it dispersed.
Behind the Cardinals, a voice reached them, powerful and divine.
[Heresy Purge], Pain overcame them, the horrible feeling of a skill being stripped from their very souls filled their bodies to the brim.
"Arghhh!" Their pain bearly allowed them to witness a Paladin of Silver. No, the manifestation of order itself was approaching them.
"Mockery of Christian clergy! So you have decided to show yourselves without me searching for you? God truly provides for his faithful. You who lead a church that hunts Christians will pay for your crimes in hell." His hand gripped Equilibrium as he approached slowly and methodically.
The Cardinals, despite being entities possessing a high class, were at the mercy of the Paladin.
The pain barely allowed them to move. Nobody could easily move after an apex skill had been stripped from them, not even the gods themselves.
They crawled, their mist disobeying their order as the being in front of them brandished its blade.
"That... is Iguva!" 1st Cardinal shouted, his voice cracking under the immense weight of the holy energy.
They did not know much about the Grand Emperor, only that he was as powerful as Chrunus, it was a being nobody would ever wish to anger. And yet here they were, at the cusp of failing Chrunus once again.
"You called me Iguva? Interesting... You will tell me why!" Cedric chuckled as he approached the cowering elders.