After several days of careful preparation, Ery finally made his way to the Centauri hangar. He arrived with two companions at his side — Vic, who trailed him with visible excitent, and Annara, whose smirk made it clear she still found his situation amusing.
Waiting inside the vast hangar bay was Julian’s Nova Roma ship, a mid-sized freighter gleaming with gold and crimson markings. Though built for travel, its reinforced hull and gun arrays suggested it could handle far more than rchant runs. A crew of over fifty Nova Knights stood ready, each armored in the sharp lines of their faction’s design. Twenty of them were Magus-realm elites; among them, Ery recognized familiar faces; other than Titus; the two others; Athena, and Hephaestus were once part of Kronos faction before pledging themselves to Julian’s cause.
The remaining crew were specialists, scurrying efficiently for the trip.
Julian stood near the boarding ramp, his aura calm yet commanding. Beside him were the faction’s senior figures — Grand Magus Athar and Poseidon, both of whom Ery had t before. Joining them today were two new presences of far greater weight.
The first was Marius — an elderly with white-gold hair and gentle eyes. Once an elder of the Nephilim Council, he was now Julian’s master and most loyal supporter. The second presence, however, drew more attention.
The tall man in silver armor stood motionless like a statue, his skin pale, his eyes glowing with steady golden light. His aura burned bright yet cold, untouched by emotion.
"This is Casiel — an outer elder of Nova Roma."
Ery inclined his head respectfully to both Marius and Casiel. He imdiately sensed that both n were two cosmos-realm grand magus.
Marius smiled warmly. Casiel, by contrast, only nodded — a curt gesture that could have been greeting or dismissal. His eyes, radiant and unblinking, seed to look through Ery rather than at him.
It took Ery only a heartbeat to realize what the man was. Casiel wasn’t human — he was a Seraph, the winged race, guardians of the Nephilim factions. Annara, who had once lived among the Seraph cities, leaned close and whispered with a grin, "That one used to be the church paladin — a battle priest of the Papal Order. I Guess the Church sent him to protect your pal"
Ery only humd in acknowledgnt.
Soon, the crew finished loading, and the Nova Roma ship launched from Centauri’s orbit, the ship’s thrusters burning a bright trail across the void. Their journey to the tomb would take a full day through the sector boundary.
During the flight, Athena briefed everyone on the details they had gathered. Holographic projections lit the command deck — Intel’s on the Celestial Machinist’s Tomb and their exploration partners, a grade two faction called Volvic, renowned for their weapon industries.
Julian moved through the cabin, introducing his people and ensuring cooperation, though only Athar and Marius made the effort to socialize. Casiel remained silent as stone. From Ery’s side, Vic followed him everywhere like a loyal hound — much to Annara’s endless amusent.
"You are so fortunate.." she teased, grinning. "The young one’s taking notes. He’s dying to impress you!"
Ery sighed. "Don’t remind ."
Their destination was close—hidden within Void space, a region where gravity were twisted by residual energies from ancient celestial battles. The coordinates were encrypted and accessible only through the secret chart. Without it, finding the place would have been nearly impossible.
Hours later, their ship finally erged from the misty distortion into a view that filled the deck’s glass canopy with color. A colossal gas giant lood before them—bands of swirling violet, gold, and black storms rolling endlessly across its surface.
"Is this really the place?" Vic asked, eyes wide. "There’s no way anything could survive down there."
Ery raised an eyebrow. "They clearly said it in the briefing..The tomb’s not on the planet. It’s on one of its moons."
"Oh, right," Vic chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess I missed that part."
Annara snorted, nearly choking on laughter. Ery pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dual master of refining and formations", he thought dryly.
Monts later, Julian’s voice echoed across the deck. "They’re here already."
Through the glass canopy, another ship erged from the swirling void — dark red, angular, its hull stamped with a symbol shaped like a hamr and crescent fla.
"That would be them the Volkov faction"
The two ships exchanged signals and synchronized approach vectors. The passage through the moon’s orbit was turbulent — gravitational anomalies twisted space like rippling water. Even with formation stabilizers, the ship trembled, forcing the crew to hold tight until the shaking subsided.
At last, both vessels broke through the disturbance and landed on the moon’s frozen surface — an airless wasteland of jagged ice and black stone. The magus realm figures required enhanced gear here. A transparent spirit barrier glimred faintly around every figure, keeping their bodies insulated.
Two factions now stood face to face. The Nova Roma delegation, led by Julian, numbered twenty in total; while the opposing group the Volkov faction brought nearly thirty. Their armor glead dark red, etched with the symbol of a hamr striking a sunburst, each warrior standing with disciplined precision behind their leader.
The man at their front was a broad-shouldered Grand Magus with a fiery red beard and eyes like molten amber. Dravik their two cosmos faction leader.
"We et again," he greeted, his voice transmitted through a spirit link, deep and resonant. "I hope your side has co well-prepared this ti."
Julian stepped forward, his expression calm but sharp. "We are"
The red-bearded leader’s grin widened, but there was no warmth in it. His gaze swept briefly across the Nova Roma ranks—lingering on Ery, then on Casiel’s shining armor. "So, I see new faces."
Julian t his stare evenly. "Sa with you."
Formalities concluded, the atmosphere grew heavier as both sides reviewed the terms of cooperation. The expedition’s balance of power had been carefully negotiated: each faction was allowed to send five Grand Magus, with only one of them permitted to be of the Two-Cosmos Realm. It was a precaution to prevent either side from overpowering the other once inside the tomb.
Nova Roma’s five were set—Julian, Poseidon, Athar, Casiel, and Ery. Marius would remain aboard the ship to guard their base and maintain communication.
Ery, however, hadn’t realized the "Two-Cosmos restriction" until Athena quietly ntioned it during their descent. No one had thought to inform him earlier—after all, no one assud he was one, nor that he could conceal such an advanced cultivation so effortlessly. He decided to remain silent. If no one on the other side could detect it, that secret might even prove advantageous.
Athar, anwhile, was already on alert. His sharp eyes scanned the Volkov lineup and paused on one unassuming figure standing among them. Other than Dravik—their leader—there was another presence that made his senses tighten.
Athar’s brow furrowed, his voice courteous but edged. "May I ask... aren’t you Lady Vashka of the thousands strings?"
The na alone rippled through both groups, instantly stirring unease. Varsha — a Two-Cosmos Grand Magus infamous for her unorthodox experints.
Athar’s expression darkened. "My apologies, but this is a breach of our agreent."
Silence stretched between the two factions. For a mont, it seed the expedition might end before it even began.
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