Chapter 1625: Evolution In Battle In the central spire of the Hischer Fortress, just above the core weapon that could unleash the annihilation beam, a portal winked open. For this portal to open, there must be two casualties. The first would be if the annihilation cannon were used, and the second would be if half the occupants of a fortress were killed in a short amount of time. In less than twenty moments, these two conditions were fulfilled, and this portal opened that led directly to the core area of the Omicron Berserker’s faction. A being of light, through this portal that had a thousand wings. Zaphiel, the Burning Heart. Once a Celestial Creator, now a leader in the Omicron Berserker faction, Zaphiel would be summoned when any unexpected and dangerous crisis occurred in the properties of the faction. A single eye appeared on his head, and his perception swept through the fortress, "Titans? Interesting, so the children of the Primordial Beasts are being resurrected." A Seraphim appeared below the Celestial Creator and went on her knees while stretching out her six arms outwards in supplication, "Creator, the strength of the opposition we face is unexpected, and we cannot win without your support." Zaphiel frowned. He was also wary of the strength displayed by these Titans, and he could not be sure if he could win. "But doesn’t this make it more interesting? Clearly, they are in search of Origin, and no one is allowed to reach it before us." Turning to the Seraphim, he ordered, "Do not reduce the resistance; instead, draw them to me. I shall bless this fortress with my gift of endurance and precision. Do not fear, for they shall not leave this place alive. I shall break their spell." ® Ximos and his Titans pushed deeper into the fortress. The defenders, learning from their previous mistake that allowed the Titans to decimate half of their number and kill nearly a hundred Old Ones, were no longer unleashing large, devastating moves that could be absorbed by the Titans. Instead, they were seeking to restrict and kill them with precise moves that, even if reversed, would not damage them too badly. But this kept them on the back foot, and the Titans decimated their numbers. Millions perished, and more of the fortress was being destroyed, and it would seem that it would not be for long before it all collapsed, when the wave of Zaphiel Celestial’s voice rippled through the fortress and entered the hearts of all its defenders. Celestial spells took many forms, but among the most powerful were those associated with their songs because they resonated with their core identity as beings of light and beauty. The song of Zaphiel rippled through the defenders, giving them strength and grace, and it tore through the arcane magic of the Titans, suppressing it within their bodies, countering the spells that made them immortal. Zaphiel could not break the spell, but he could neutralize it long enough that it would no longer matter. The battle in an instant underwent a transformation, and the Titans who had been tearing through the ranks of the Omicron Defenders with relative ease found themselves mired under waves of crushing opposition. If before they were fighting against loose sand, now they face metal, as the defenders with the precision of eternity and the grace of a Seraphim—every strike was flawless, every spell devastating. The Titans began to fall, one by one. Each took a million lives with them, but the spell that Ximos used to reverse their deaths was locked into the bodies of the fallen, and so their numbers began to thin. However, the Titans embodied endless wrath, and when they discovered that their spells could no longer draw them back from death, it was transformed and now the spell began boosting the powers of those that were alive, and for every Titan that fell, those that remained had their entire abilities boosted by a large amount. One of the Titans, receiving several boosts from the fallen, began to evolve into a Titan Battle Form. A state where the Aspect embodied by the Titan was fully fused with them, almost bringing them to the level of Concept! It did not take long for several of the Titans to also begin their evolution in the midst of battle. The first Titan who began his evolution transformed into a beast of regenerating shadows that swallowed all the attacks of the defenders of the fortress, and his form was impossible to disperse. The Titan tore through the defenders, consuming their essence to fuel its growth. Before long, it had transformed into a shadow storm that extended for thousands of kilometers and consumed everything in its path. Under the order from Ximos, it took to the skies to consume the spells that had not stopped raining down on them from the defenders while extending tentacles of shadows to consume anything it could reach. Another Titan became a volcanic leviathan, and this evolution seemed to be common as three other Titans took this form and they all merged together and flooded the ground, devouring all in a fiery deluge that seemed unending. Several more transformations took place as the Titans evolved into elemental forms that thoroughly decimated their opposition. Nothing could stand against them, and the fortress began to collapse. The defenders’ cries reached the heavens, and a bloody haze filled all of space and time. Every dead was immortal, and so their blood and souls were powerful. Their demise left visible echoes in space and time that warped the surroundings. It was inevitable that the Titans would reach the central core of the fortress. After killing one of the last of the defenders, an Immortal Warrior, by pulling out his head from his golden shell, Ximos walked into the massive hall where the annihilation cannon of the Hisher Fortress dwelt. He beheld the form of the Celestial Creator, who, with folded arms, was waiting for them. Memories of the past flooded through Ximos’s mind. He remembered the endless fields of battle where his brothers and sisters were slaughtered under the gaze of Primordial Light, and the hearts of the Titans were used to build their realms. Ximos did not say anything, even though a thousand words were burning to escape his tongue. Instead, he reached for the eternal connection he had with his brothers. In this battle, fourteen of them had fallen, and with the sinister spell of the Celestial, it was impossible for them to be resurrected. All of that pain and death was drawn to him, and the evolution in the bodies of his brothers was reversed, leaving him alone to enjoy the benefits of a boosted attribute. With all of this power flooding his veins, Ximos began to evolve. His eyes shone bright before lightning exploded from them. A lightning that rose into the air like snakes before falling back into his body, and he shed his mortal form, and his massive divine armor no longer held flesh but a being made from pure lightning. Ximos became a Titan of storms, and stretching his hand to the side, a massive hammer of thunder and lightning took shape and nestled into his grip. Zaphiel laughed, "Very good. This is what it feels like to battle a real Titan. I shall enjoy killing you and your brothers."