Unchosen Champion

The Elite High Priestess clearly believed she had crippled Coop. She looked down on him, as if to say ‘Checkmate,” after dispelling his ethereal weapons and armor. Coop couldn't fault her for the confident attitude. It had been the experience of all those undergoing the assimilation that those who rose to power did so with heavy reliance on the abilities granted by mana, and she had already dissected his skills one after the other.

From her perspective, Coop weaved mists into all of his abilities, manifesting ghosts, equipment, and environmental effects with the ethereal energy. There was no reason for her to expect the Champion of Ghost Reef to be such a barbarian that he would simply punch through her own convoluted Mind-based pinnacle spells without the aid of mana.

Her class was one that stripped power from her opponents, casting their mana out to the Void that she could call upon while retaining her own power. If the Endless Empire had managed to sponsor her, Coop was absolutely certain she would have been designated another Legendary class by the faction.

She had one of the rare affinity combinations that the City titles had clued Coop in on, combining opposite cosmic forces to create a greater whole. Ghost Reef had earned the Haven of Twilight title for having residents pursuing such complementary paths, and she embodied that dichotomy in a single package.

Coop wasn’t sure if the leader of the Cult of Chakyum had carefully selected his inner circle to be particularly capable, or if they had self-selected by fighting amongst themselves, but the end result was the same. They were strong enough to execute the Cult’s aspirations of regional domination. Much like the Sapphire Armada, the Cult of Chakyum excelled in their selected strategy. He sincerely believed that both groups had the capacity to leverage their superiority into global domination given enough time and resources. Unfortunately for both groups, they had locked themselves onto a collision course with Ghost Reef and its Champion.

Chakyum had struck gold with the Herald of Cosmos. Anyone who dared face the Cult with any reliance on mana-focused skills would be rendered powerless when they met the Elite High Priestess. The opposing forces of light and dark granted by her affinities allowed her to nullify formations of mana. Chakyum was free to pursue his own purpose until the time was right, so long as he had her anchoring his organization.

Coop couldn’t help but shake his head at how unlucky they were to face him specifically. His original strategy was to create a build that eschewed the power spikes granted by mana in favor of raising his baseline strength as high as possible. While he had hoped to exceed others’ peak power levels with his raw stats alone, he did end up relying on his own skills to elevate himself beyond what others could reach on occasion, but that was mostly in the case of uniquely outstanding individuals. Really, he had stayed true to his original vision, turning the Revenant into an overwhelming machine of stats.

Each of the High Priests had been able to temporarily hold him off by matching him in one stat or another, but their efficacy could be attributed to the ridiculous level gaps they were able to create. On even levels, Coop was confident in his own standing. The path he chose was valid.

If it wasn’t for Chakyum’s peculiar interest in Coop, the Cult would have been free to quietly expand their influence at their leisure, riding high on the growing strength of its Priests. Unfortunately for them, the region had grown turbulent with Coop’s arrival, and they were coaxed into accelerating their plans. Their current advantage was revealed to be tenuous when the first High Priests were killed by the outsider. But even after consolidating their power, the Cult of Chakyum was still well-positioned to accomplish their Master’s ultimate mission in the long run. Coop’s challenge should have been a minor hindrance at most, that is, if they could contain the Revenant.

While Coop fought amongst the council of Chakyum’s High Priests, the Herald carefully analyzed his abilities. From her perspective, there was nothing particularly unusual about his level of power. Many had skills that temporarily endowed the user with elevated capacities. She merely had to look at the interloper’s allies to see several other examples of humans fighting far above their weight class. They shouldn’t have the endurance to overcome the oppression of raw levels.

In the end, she concluded that Coop’s impossible Strength was granted by the weapons he wielded, his evasiveness by his mists, and his lethality by the ghosts he called upon. It was the same way with those he fought alongside; even the High Priests heavily leaned on their skills to rise to the occasion and meet the surges of power that intensified throughout combat. By itself, the gap in levels wasn’t enough for them to completely rise above the risks presented by the most diligent warriors.

The Totemic, Sip-Hau, had been fully empowered with his personal nature magic and was still overwhelmed by the Revenant that dared to challenge Chakyum’s Priests. The only explanation that made any sense to her was that the manifestations Coop wielded were equally special. She had already negated his ghosts and dispersed his mists until they couldn’t continue being a factor, and yet, he smashed through the bloodlusted High Priest, even with enhancements.

When the time finally came for her to act, she dragged Coop into her ultimate skill, Event Horizon, ready to finish him off. Her carefully considered conclusions regarding his Strength were shattered when Coop’s knuckles broke her jaw.

Coop stood over the sprawled out Elite High Priestess, fists clenched and his exposed skin bloodied and bruised. He hadn’t gone unscathed when he barged through her stellar projectiles, but the damage was all relative. Compared to his previous trials, a short struggle with forces he didn’t understand was barely a blip on his radar. If anything, it was standard practice. Bruises and scrapes decorated his body, but he was still moving at his full capacity with his health above 90% and no debuffs to worry about.

The Herald of Cosmos may have been level 505, but Coop’s Mind stat had enough points in it to be the equivalent of level 672 entirely by itself. Of course, her skills would grant her additional multipliers, but unless she had gone all in on her offensive abilities, she would be hard-pressed to meet the thresholds necessary to truly overwhelm the Revenant’s passive magic defense.

The wind had whipped up around the top of the pyramid where the High Priests battled. Coop's hair was blown to the side. The elevated position on top of Chakyum’s temple left them particularly exposed to the elements. The sky above was a solid sheet of dark slate, completely lacking the contours of most clouds, condensing like a layer of concrete above the settlement instead. Coop imagined that it barely held back from releasing a torrential downpour on the entire settlement, but that was only if mother nature was still in control. With mana in play, anything was possible.

Coop was silhouetted against the gray backdrop, shrouded in shadow, with his features occasionally highlighted by flashes of light generated from Tzultacaj’s lightning in the distance. His ethereal armor, spear, and shield reformed with wisps of ghostly turquoise mists solidifying while he loomed over his opponent, offering the Elite High Priestess the chance to dispel them again if she could.

Coop felt like a clock was ticking, based on the thickness of the mana in the air, and it was about time for him to delve into the interior of the temple. The High Priests had delayed him long enough. There was no doubt in his mind that he shouldn’t leave Chakyum alone to complete his ritual and flee the region. The final confrontation would happen on Coop’s timetable, rather than the Cult’s and that meant it would happen in the present, not the future. The tenacity of the Revenant meant that he wouldn’t be denied his goals.

The Jaguar Elites continued to fight with the last two High Priests while Coop occupied the Elite High Priestess. He judged that it would be reasonable to leave the Deathstalker and the Colossus to the Jaguar Sun for the time being.

Sierra was engaging with the Deathstalker in the air, forcing the assassin to leap into the sky if she wanted to strike at the Cloud Dancer. Meanwhile, blasts of air and combination attacks greeted the High Priestess whenever she overextended from her portals. Sierra’s chip damage was proving to be a proper match for the assassin, and the gusts of wind caused by the weather only aided in the Cloud Dancer’s evasiveness.

Tzultacaj hadn’t let up on his intensity for a single moment, still blasting away at the Colossus as he snarled through clenched teeth. The only strategy the High Priest was able to employ was a defensive one. The High Priest continued to layer his Earthen armor, drifting beyond the edge of the temple and down the steps as he conceded the high ground to the Inheritor’s aggression. Though he towered above his opponents, even standing on lower steps, if he stopped adding the armor, it would be stripped away.

That left the Elite High Priestess, the Herald of Cosmos, and the Champion of the Yucatan Settlement for Coop.

“You monster!” She shouted at Coop, as she cowered on the floor, then winced as she gingerly braced her jaw.

“That’s enough, my dear.” A compassionate voice called from near the civilization shard.

Her eyes bulged as she twisted her head toward the shard. “Master!” She exclaimed. “I’m sorry! We have not accomplished our task!”

“I can see that.” He remarked with a gentle chuckle, then smiled kindly toward Coop from beneath his gray hood, tilting his head in greeting. “You held him off for long enough.” He added as he lifted his head.

An old man had risen from the staircase that led into the pyramid. Despite the benefits of mana, he was hunched over, leaning heavily on a metal staff with a weighty dark green orb embedded in the tip. A typical gray robe, seen everywhere among the Cultists, was draped over his form, and the hood was pulled up so that most of his face was cast in shadow. Only his slightly yellowed teeth, contrasted with unusually pale lips, were visible as he grinned at Coop.

Coop identified the man that must finally be Chakyum himself, feeling a bit disappointed by his lack of presence.

[Human (Level 111)]

[Binder of Souls (Intelligence)]

[Archlich of the Unspeakable]

[Death, Order (Bane)]

“Archlich…” Coop whispered under his breath.

“Your Oath has been fulfilled, Sister Ix-Hau.” The Binder of Souls stated, ignoring Coop’s proximity. “You have done well to claim and hold the civilization shard while I prepared for our migration.” He added soothingly, stroking her hair consolingly.

Coop raised an eyebrow at the relief that the Elite High Priestess, so-called Ix-Hau, obviously felt. She visibly deflated, like all of the tension had left her body, leaning heavily against the kneeling old man.

Ix-Hau had been the highest level member of the Cult for as long as Coop had been paying attention to the leaderboards, so he was satisfied with her identification. His eyes flicked back and forth as he watched the pair, deciding who to attack first: the weakened and checked out Elite High Priestess or the unempowered elderly newcomer. He only hesitated because it felt like a trap had been sprung. The hair on the back of his neck was raised and he felt goosebumps rise on his arms as he watched the feeble man lean toward Ix-Hau. The air around the old man was positively vibrating with energy.

“What about Sister Luc-Hau and Brother Lom-Hau?” She wondered after the serene restfulness had washed over her.

“They will be my body and blade as we move north.” He shared. “I will use them to pit the other settlements against each other while slowly claiming souls until the time is right to conduct another ritual.”

“Yes, Master.” She sighed, satisfied with his answer.

Chakyum gently put his hand on her shoulder and she fully collapsed, eyes rolling back as life left her body.

“Huh?” Coop mumbled as her body turned to dust. At most, she only had a broken jaw. He hadn’t expected his punch to be fatal.

The Binder of Souls stood back up, bracing both arms against the staff as his bones audibly creaked. Coop shifted his stance, refusing to let his guard down despite the unthreatening presence in front of him.

He raised his shield, and propped his spear up over his shoulder, preparing to give the old man a devastating overhand thrust as the choice of who to attack was made for him. He tensed his abs and leaned on his back foot before shifting his weight forward. Coop propelled himself with all the strength in his body, unerringly continuing the battle.

“Now,” The man began just as Coop lunged forward, his ethereal spear bearing down on the older man with deadly intent. “We have much to discuss.” The Binder of Souls continued, ignoring Coop’s attack.

A translucent green shield that immediately reminded Coop of the Envoy’s dome revealed itself just as the tip of Coop’s spear contacted its outer edge, mere inches before impaling the unflinching elderly man. Coop’s arm was flung backwards and he stumbled as the feedback nearly tore his limb from the socket. Coop growled as he struggled to maintain his stance.

“Which faction are you from?” The old man asked, unfazed by Coop’s sincere attempt to kill him. He stepped forward through the cloud of miasmic energy that had exploded from the shield while Coop stumbled backwards, growing serious.

When Coop didn’t respond, recovering his posture in order to continue attacking, the Binder of Souls continued with a slightly angrier tone. “Do I have to spell it out? Which Undead faction sponsored you? Because you’ve seriously messed up by interfering with the Unspeakable. They will wipe your sponsor out and you will be doomed to an eternity of torment.”

Coop blinked a few times, processing the questions being asked. “I have no sponsor.” He finally answered, still clenching his jaw after his attack.

The elderly man scoffed, waving a hand at Coop dismissively while he leaned against his staff with the other. “You expect me to believe the Unchosen ended up with an Undead relic of such value that I can taste it from here? That you also just happen to have a Spectral Affinity? You are the Champion of Ghost Reef.” He shook his head. “Ridiculous. You can’t deny it. You will not avoid the consequences of your meddling by keeping silent. In fact, it only validates further punishment” He furiously tapped his staff with his pale fingers.

Coop squinted at the man. “Factions have nothing to do with it. You’re the one that threatened my settlement, not to mention all the people your Cult has killed. It’s you that will face consequences today.”

The old man’s head was still slowly shaking, but Coop couldn’t read his expression from beneath the gray hood. “I thought we could squash the rivalry and become allies, if not now, then in the future, but I have no interest in dealing with your obvious stubbornness. Once I have your soul, I will have my answers. You will make a fine Elite High Priest for my next expansion.”

He lifted his staff and let the end knock against the stone temple. Shaking his head to himself like he couldn’t believe Coop’s pertinacity. Then he lifted it again and repeated the motion. Coop couldn’t decipher his agitated mumbling, but he was left with the impression that Chakyum’s plans had been dictated to him by greater forces, and Coop’s interference had been more annoying than expected, forcing the Chosen of the Undead to adapt in uncomfortable ways.

“Get rid of the shield.” Coop suggested. “We can see who gets to keep their soul.”

The man who called himself Chakyum laughed at Coop’s conviction. “We’ll see.”

When he gradually stopped laughing he stared straight at Coop from beneath his hood, eyes tinged with rather familiar ghostly energy from within the shadow, though the Binder’s mana was contaminated with black, unlike the ethereal mana around Ghost Reef.

He lifted his staff once more, letting it bounce off the stone a final time, then roared an inhuman howl toward the sky. “Now!” The old man shouted with an empowered voice. “Your Oaths have been fulfilled!” He continued, practically frothing at the mouth as his words echoed across the settlement, spittle flying into the air, and raising his staff toward the overcast sky with both hands firmly gripping the shaft with boney fingers.

Shadowy hands erupted from the ground around the old man’s feet, grasping at his limbs and snaking upwards. The hands of darkness only revealed their wrists before fading away in the breeze. Each reached a bit further than the previous, completely obscuring his robes, climbing up his staff, and dragging darkness up from beneath the stone floor. They reached his face, blocked his hood with fingers of darkness, only letting slivers of green energy sneak between the gaps, and his entire body was shrouded in a murky limb cocoon that drifted away and refilled in rapid cycles.

The shadow hands all stopped grabbing at once. They splayed their fingers out before dissipating into black smoke that shot upwards, revealing the smiling old man as he faced the sky. Coop felt uneasy as his eyes followed the trail. The darkness climbed all the way to the dreary cloud above them both.

Then, the sky broke.

Coop braced himself as the world convulsed. A pulse blasted across the sky, shooting beyond the horizon in a moment, blurring his vision as it went. When his sight cleared up, he witnessed the oppressive cloud that had been thickening above the settlement split like a shattered smoky glass panel. The clouds were like a solid sheet of brittle dry mud. They broke as if an explosion had blasted through the opposite side, annihilating the center, and created a chain reaction of destruction beyond the point of contact.

His eyes struggled to maintain focus as more waves of energy blurred his vision. The sky cleared in the center, above the temple, but the edges remained shattered, like a glass window held together by a transparent film. Broken shards froze in place all the way across the settlement in expanding waves, one after the next, as the energy cascaded outwards and the cloud broke.

Coop was disturbed by the feeling of being watched. When he looked closer, he understood why. The shards that the cloud shattered into reflected the faces of the Oathsworn Humans that had maintained the ritual while the battle raged on, their visages trapped hundreds of feet in the air for a few moments before disappearing.

The angular shards dangled high above the ground, suspended by unseen energy, scattering hazy green-tinged light in all directions, but the memory of the eyes peering back lingered on Coop’s mind even as their forms vanished.

Directly above the temple, in the space that was completely clear of the shards, a window to what looked like another world had appeared, replacing what should have been the evening sky.

Coop felt like a veil had been broken, destroying the thin barrier between the world of the living and the dead. Red clouds and gray streaks drifted calmly above, in a scene that must have been from hell itself. Ethereal whispers, distorted shouts, and agonized screams echoed faintly from the portal-like formation and the previous silence was broken. The gray clouds had been a solidifying shell, and this was what they had contained: The souls of the Cult of Chakyum.

The Oathsworn Humans collapsed in waves all across the settlement, starting with those closest to the temple. In mere moments, millions of empty robes lined the streets of the massive settlement as black smoke drifted up into the opening.

Far in the distance, thousands of Jaguar warriors stood confused as the opponents that they were engaged with in close quarters combat among choke points, or with ambushes, disintegrated into dust. They universally watched the sky, innately fearing what they had awoken.

Coop glanced back at the supposed Lord of Death and Ruler of the Underworld. The old man still held his staff toward the sky as the window to hell faded back to a dreary overcast cover. He was being bathed in the calming heavenly spotlight of levels, in complete contrast to the bleak atmosphere around the Yucatan settlement.

“What did you do?” Coop couldn’t help but ask, gaping at the old man.

“I collected what was owed.” Chakyum responded curtly, extending his arms as if he meant to catch all of the light that flowed down from the sky.