With a single command, David had resurrected the fallen warriors. Their voices echoed in unison, pledging their loyalty to their new master. It was a moment of awe, power, and a new understanding of what he had become.
Now, Saponu had one final test for him.
---
Saponu observed David with a satisfied smirk. "That's great, my boy," he said, nodding approvingly. "But it's time to bring back the powerful ones."
David straightened, his heart still pounding from the rush of resurrection. He turned to the remaining soul stones—the ones that glowed the brightest. A sense of anticipation filled the air.
"Now," Saponu continued, "try combining your amplification with your necromancy ability." Use both to bring them back.
David inhaled sharply. Amplification was second nature to him, but combining it with Necromancy? That was uncharted territory. Still, he had come this far.
Closing his eyes, he focused. Power surged within him, flowing through his veins like a river of fire and shadow. He attempted to merge the two forces—Amplification to enhance, Necromancy to resurrect.
But—
The moment the energies touched, the balance collapsed. The power flickered, unstable, before fizzling out completely.
David exhaled in frustration. "I can't do it," he muttered, shaking his head. "It's—it's too difficult."
Saponu scoffed. "Nonsense. I do it all the time with my abilities. It's easier than you think."
David frowned. "Easy? This feels like trying to mix oil and water."
Saponu crossed his arms. "Then you're thinking about it wrong. Try balancing both abilities in your mind. Feel them within you. Guide them instead of forcing them."
David clenched his fists, trying again. He summoned the energy of both abilities, feeling the raw power ignite inside him. But just when it started to merge—
It slipped away.
Again.
His breathing grew heavy. "It's not working."
Saponu sighed, then smirked. "Picture this. When you're mixing two colors to create a new one—like red and yellow to make orange—you don't overpower one with the other. You use an equal amount of both."
David's eyes widened slightly.
"Treat your powers the same way," Saponu continued. Find the perfect balance. Equal parts Amplification, equal parts Necromancy.
David's mind flashed with the image of a color spectrum. He had never thought about his abilities like that before.
He nodded slowly. "So… like the color spectrum. I think I can do this."
He closed his eyes, centering on himself. This time, he didn't force it. He let the two powers flow, equal and steady.
A spark.
A shift.
They weren't fighting each other anymore.
They were merging.
David's body trembled slightly as a new surge of energy pulsed through him. The surrounding air crackled.
Saponu grinned. "Now—bring them back to life."
David stepped forward, his arms slowly spreading wide. His eyes snapped open, glowing a deep, haunting purple.
Then—
"ARISE."
A tremor rocked the battlefield.
Seven soul stones shook violently, their glow intensifying.
A deep, resonating hum filled the air as immense energy flooded the space, rippling outward like an unseen storm.
David's purple glow intensified, his arms stretched wide as the immense energy field rippled through the air. The soul stones trembled violently, their light pulsating in chaotic waves.
Saponu watched with an eager gleam in his eyes. "Good… now push beyond the boundary."
David gritted his teeth, focusing. The moment was here. His combined Amplification and Necromancy surged together, intertwining like two opposing forces, finally finding harmony.
Then—
The ground trembled beneath them as the first figure emerged.
Joseph Obuko stepped forth, his spectral glow illuminating the space, his erratic number shifting wildly in his ghostly white eyes. He exhaled sharply, as if reclaiming breath stolen long ago.
Epson Nii Nortey followed, his glowing green eyes piercing through the veil of death, his body still carrying the weight of his long-forgotten seals.
Helena Gyan materialized next, her mist-like form blending seamlessly into reality, her dark gaze void-like, unreadable.
One by one, they returned.
Richard Mawunyo's cracked, heat-ridden form rose, steam and frost exuding from his body as if he were still fighting to control the balance within him.
Thomas Mills stepped forward, unnervingly still, his presence a ghostly echo of the strategist he once was.
Monica Kwashi appeared in a flickering haze, her yellow-glowing eyes scanning the surroundings, her mind already calculating unseen movements.
And finally—
A last pulse of energy exploded outward as Rosamund Quansha emerged, her spectral form weaving into existence, her violet eyes glowing with ancient knowledge.
David's breath came in heavy gasps, sweat dripping down his face. His entire body pulsed with lingering energy.
Saponu clapped, a slow, approving rhythm that echoed ominously.
You did it, boy. You brought back the powerful ones.
Now, amplify them.
One by one, David amplified their bodies and souls.
The seven stood before him, no longer bound by death.
Their gazes locked onto David.
Waiting.
Expecting.
And then—
Rosamund took a slow step forward, her voice carrying that eerie, layered whisper.
"So tell us, Master... what comes next?"
David stood before them, his eyes burning with newfound authority. The air crackled with an unseen force, the weight of resurrection still lingering. He looked upon those he had brought back—the ones who had once shaped history, now reborn under his command.
He took a deep breath, then spoke, his voice resonating with power.
"From this day forward, you are no longer just the ancestors of the past—you are the Fallen Ancestors. And among you, the strongest shall be known as the Upper Seven—the highest ranks of my reborn army."
He turned his gaze toward the seven strongest among them, their presence towering over the rest, their auras suffocating the very air.
"And among you, seven stand above all. The Upper Seven. The pinnacle of power. The ones who will shape the battlefield in my name."
He raised a hand, pointing first at Joseph Obuko, his unreadable white eyes glowing eerily.
"Joseph Obuko. Upper One. The Gambler's king."
He continued, his words sealing their places in his new order:
"Epson Nii Nortey. Upper Two. The Cursed Warden."
"Richard Mawunyo. Upper Three. The Tempest of Fire and Ice."
"Helena Gyan. Upper Four. The Phantom Queen."
"Thomas Mills. Upper Five. The Duplicator."
His hand shifted to Monica Kwashi, her piercing yellow eyes flickering with unnatural energy.
"Monica Kwashi. Upper Six. The Puppet Mistress."
"Rosamund Quansha. Upper Seven. The Oracle of Fate."
David lowered his hand, his gaze sweeping across them.
A cold wind swept through the ruins, as if the very world recognized the weight of his declaration. The Fallen Ancestors have been resurrected. And with them, so had chaos.
Saponu stepped forward, a satisfied smirk on his face as he stretched out his hand. Shadows twisted and coiled, bending space itself. A deep black rift tore open before them, swirling with unstable energy. On the other side, the world of the living awaited.
He turned to David. "It's time to go."
Without hesitation, Joseph Obuko was the first to step through, his spectral form vanishing into the darkness. One by one, the Upper Seven followed—each ancestor walking through the rift, their presence sending ripples through existence itself.
Then, the rest of the fallen ancestors followed.
Peter and Randy followed next, then David.
Finally, only Saponu remained. He took a step forward but then hesitated. His gaze shifted to the horizon, his golden eyes narrowing as if sensing something beyond what the others could see.
There, in the distance, unseen by all but him, the Ancestral Council stood in silent observation. Their ghostly forms loomed over the vast, endless expanse of the underworld. They had been watching.
One of them, an elder with eyes like fading stars, exhaled sharply. "This is bad."
Another clenched his fists, his expression grim. "The balance is shifting." The cycle is breaking.
A third, voice laced with ancient worry, whispered, "He has undone what was meant to stay buried."
Saponu smirked but said nothing. With one last glance, he turned and stepped through the portal.
The rift snapped shut behind him, leaving only silence.