The horizon was bathed in molten gold and violet shadows as Auron's warhost descended into the Valley of Anointed Flame—a cursed cradle said to hold the Temple of Eclipsed Divinity. Few who entered its depths returned, and those who did spoke in tongues and screams.
Auron rode at the head, his armor now infused with demonsteel from Drazhara's domain. The blade at his hip, Umbrafang, drank starlight. Around him, his harem moved like an army of queens—Seraphine in robes enchanted with blood-runes, Kaelira in midnight plate, and Drazhara newly bound in chains of her own former making.
"Gods dwell here," Seraphine murmured, eyes locked on the colossal obsidian pillars rising in the distance.
"They used to," Auron replied.
The Dead God's Steps
As they approached the temple's gate, a deafening silence fell. Even the wind dared not cross the threshold.
The gateway was shaped like a screaming face, carved from black crystal. Auron approached it, and the runes etched along its maw flared with dark light.
System Alert: Mythic Trial Engaged – Temple of Eclipsed Divinity Warning: Reality distortion detected
The gate dissolved.
The temple's interior was endless—shifting halls of floating stone, shifting gravity, and inverted stars. The laws of physics bent to divine whim, but none dared challenge Auron's presence. His aura imposed its own reality.
Kaelira stumbled for a moment as time unraveled around her.
"Hold," Auron said. One word, and the distortion coiled away from them.
At the heart of the temple waited a throne carved from celestial bone. And upon it… sat a woman.
She Who Refused Oblivion
She was radiant and terrifying. Skin like moonlight, hair like an eclipse's edge. Her robes floated around her like a nebula.
"I am Nyxara, goddess of forgotten realms," she intoned. "You do not belong here, mortal."
"I belong wherever I choose," Auron answered, stepping into the divine chamber.
"You seek to conquer the divine?" she asked, rising.
"I seek to make it mine."
Her laugh echoed like a dying sun.
"Then prove yourself, false king."
A Duel Beyond Time
Nyxara unleashed a cascade of astral spears. Auron swept them aside with a flick of Umbrafang, their shards bending around his shield of will. She warped space to erase his position—he responded by commanding the system to freeze spacetime.
System Override: Temporal Anchor – Absolute
With reality stilled, Auron stepped forward, striking her with a hand wreathed in voidfire. She reeled, for the first time in eons.
Nyxara's divine flesh burned with mortal sensation. She collapsed to one knee.
"You've… bent divinity."
"I haven't even begun."
System Subjugation Protocol: Divine Class – Engaged
Rings of energy sealed around her wrists, neck, and ankles. Celestial chains formed as Auron pressed his palm to her chest. The crest burned into her flawless skin, glowing with divine submission.
System Message: Nyxara, Goddess of Forgotten Realms – Subjugated
"Added to Harem"
"Temple of Eclipsed Divinity: Claimed"
"Reality Control Node: Acquired"
Ascension
Later that night, atop the divine throne, Auron sat with Nyxara curled against him, her celestial glow dimmed by obedience. His harem gathered around, their bonds deepening with power and purpose.
Seraphine traced a glowing map across his chest. "The gods are next."
"No," Auron corrected. "The stars."
System Update:
"Trial 7: Temple of Eclipsed Divinity – Complete"
"Divine-Level Threat Subjugated: 1"
"Total Dominions Claimed: 6"
"New Trial Available: Citadel of the Starborn Empresses"