Forum:Second Collapse

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Next:	Retaking of Sol
Second Collapse
Fronts:	The Last City Earth: European Dead Zone, Dwindler's Ridge Antumbral Chasm, Deimos Europa
Outcome:	Enshroudment of the Solar System
Belligerents Humanity The Vanguard The Reef Imperial Cabal House of Flame Castris's Criminal Empire House of Eclipse House of Light The Black Fleet The Black Fleet The Shadowkeepers Commanders The Last City The Guardian Osiris The Crow Ikora Rey Shiro-4 Luther Hargreeves Ezra Knightwalker Jotaro Kujo Kakashi Hatake Eris Morn Elisabeth Bray Hannah Ciel Mallory Bertha The Cabal Empress Caiatl House of Flame Koriks, Flame Kell Venth Nagihiko Castris's Criminal Empire Castris Robert E. O. Speedwagon House of Eclipse Tyrakus, Kell of Eclipse House of Light Mithrax, Kell of Light Eido, Daughter of Misraaks The Shadowkeepers The Guardian The Black Swordsman The White Angel Strength The Last City Millions of Guardians The Awoken Royal Armada The Cabal Imperial Fleet The Fallen Armada The Black Fleet Uncounted Pyramid Scales Uncounted Nightmares Uncounted Shadowkeepers Forces of the Shadowkeepers House of Shadows Shadow Brood Shadow Divisive Shadow Legion The Reborn Cult of the Scorned Casualties The Last City Near annihilation of the Guardian order Zavala The Cabal Complete annihilation of the Imperial Fleet House of Flame Near annihilation of Olympus Mons Castris's Criminal Empire Most of the associates The Black Fleet Many Scales lost The Shadowkeepers Numberless Civilian casualties Complete annihilation of The Last City megapolis Complete annihilation of The Reef

The Second Collapse (also known as the Shadowkeeper's Apocalypse) was a massively cataclysmic system-wide conflict fought between the unified forces of the Solar System and The Black Fleet. The conflict began after Pyramidic fleet-elements started arriving en mass into the system. After the Outer System was taken without any meaningful resistance, the Fleet moved into the Inner System, shrouding world after world until only Earth and its Moon remained.

There, in orbit around the dyad worlds, the Fleet deployed the Shadowkeepers and its commanders, the Black Swordsman and its Angel. Most of Earth's landmass was quickly claimed by the Shadowkeeper armies except for the entirety of the southern American continent, where the Last City has grown into a megapolis of unimaginable proportions. Here the enemy forces were stalemated until The Guardian was lured away to the EDZ and subsequently corrupted. The Black Fleet claimed victory, broke the Traveler, and slew most of the Solar System combatants, with few survivors fleeing into new worlds. The enshroudment of Sol complete, the Black Fleet withdrew its forces into its home dimension, where secretly a hidden fortress had been constructed.

Prelude

Birth of Fusion

"My many years of research has enabled us to reach a new level, because she is a special case. I hereby introduce to everyone, my daughter Mallory Bertha. The first human in the world to wield powers from our future. She is more than just my daughter, but also the hope of humanity."

— Kaguya Narusaka introducing her daughter Mallory to her colleagues and supporters.

Arrival of the Traveler

"Ever since the Traveler showed herself to our ancestors on Mars, we stared out at the galaxy and believed that we were chosen to walk in the light of other stars. But unfortunately, history had something else in mind for them."

— Eris Morn.

The Auradonian War

"So many lives would've been saved if we had just let history run its course."

— Osiris, reflecting on the aftermath of the Auradonian War and Eaton's destruction.

Overview

The Swordsman's Arrival

Sometime after the First Collapse, the worlds of the Solar system partway drawn into Aincrad from various "Darkness Zones" left behind, the a-life that would come to be known as the Black Swordsman was deposited at the foot of the Signal Tower. Confused and disoriented, Kirito demanded answers from anything that would speak to it, and received nothing. After many long and fruitless months of attempting escape, Kirito gave up all hope and resigned itself to its fate. It was then the Darkness spoke to it, promising rich rewards in exchange for lifelong servitude. The a-life agreed, and was rechristened the Black Swordsman, herald of the Darkness' coming and leader of its armies.

As time passed differently in Aincrad, or perhaps the Darkness had bent the passage of time around the a-life specifically, no sooner had the Swordsman agreed than it was revealed the Black Fleet had been mustering for its second all-out assault upon a weakened Traveler and the small alliance of humans it had rallied. Kirito was sent out from Aincrad into the material realm, reawakening long dormant lieutenants of Darkness and cutting off avenues of escape; at some point, he would be reunited with his Angel, Asuna, who had been waiting patiently for his return.

Aftermath

After the Sanctuary dwellers forged an alliance with the inhabitants, they decisively repelled an exploratory arm of the Black Fleet, reacting to a reinvigorated Traveler which had forsaken its spherical body for that of a human, and the entrapped inhabitants of Aincrad. Together, with Sanctuary and their allies launching a physical assault on the Solar System and Mallory infiltrating Aincrad to unmake the Black Fleet's interference, the system was freed and Aincrad locked away. Fusion was liberated from Aincrad.

The High Orbit

Remnants of the Shadowkeepers still lurked within the wilds of the freed birthplace of humanity. The Swordsman and the Angel were hunted to destruction by resurgent Guardian forces, with Cabal and Eliksni Lightbearers among them. Only their "son", Tatsuyi Kirigaya, remained strong enough to rally a number of Shadowkeepers and Nightmares, resurrecting his parents as Nightmares along the way, and attempted a direct assault on Mallory. They were defeated by The Guardian.

List of appearances

• Destiny 2:
  • Paradox (First appearance)
    • Season of the Inferno (Mentioned only)