The moment Michael disappeared into the distance, the atmosphere across the Southern Sector hardened into something far heavier. The street shook under the constant pressure of dozens upon dozens of mutated monsters forcing their way through every opening the defense had attempted to anchor. The frontline squads of the Libertas Aeterna spread themselves thin along a half-collapsed avenue, the soldiers firing in strict volleys under Commander Cane’s direction. Most of their regular ammunition barely slowed the creatures, the bullets embedding uselessly into hardened bone, carapace, or whatever twisted material made up their reinforced bodies. Only concentrated plasma shots or the heavy-caliber cannons mounted on the nearby armored carriers could stagger or kill the advancing beasts. But both resources were limited, and the sheer number of mutants pouring into the Sector made the situation more chaotic by the minute. Cane stood in the open on the roof of a fallen transport vehicle, issu

The second giant mutant’s movements were heavier and more deliberate than the one Stella had helped bring down earlier. From the rooftop of a half-collapsed complex, Commander Cane gave the order and Lea immediately sprinted forward, cutting across the broken street in a blur of enhanced speed. Stella followed a second behind him, her alloy shifting down her arms and chest as she formed a reinforced breastplate and plated gauntlets. The hulking monster turned its head toward the rushing pair but its delayed reaction created the opening they needed. Lea fired several plasma bursts into its upper torso to force the creature to brace, while Stella closed the distance and drove a thickened alloy lance straight into its knee. The limb bent inward with a wet crunch and the creature toppled sideways into a building, sending concrete debris into the street.Lea vaulted over a fallen streetlight and landed beside Stella, both girls breathing hard as they repositioned while the massi

No one could lift their head.Not Lea.Not Stella.Not Commander Cane.Not even the two unidentified powerhouses who had been tearing through the mutant horde.The gravitational pressure kept every living being, human and monster alike, locked to the ground. Even with all her enhancements, Stella’s legs were shaking violently, forced into a kneeling position she couldn't resist. Lea’s breath rasped in her throat, the crushing force pressing her ribs inward. Some of the smaller mutants had already been flattened completely, their bodies sinking into the concrete like wet clay. Even the massive giants trembled on the ground, their limbs quivering uselessly under an invisible weight strong enough to shatter the earth beneath them.Above them, suspended in the air like gravity meant nothing to him, the stranger stood with one hand in his pocket. After a couple of seconds, he tilted his head slightly, as though listening to something far away. His g

Erin had not planned on returning to her family home so soon after the events in the Southern Sector, but the summons had been worded carefully enough to make refusal not an option. Her father had asked for her presence for a very obvious reason; several heirs who had been thought to be untouchable had met their ends relatively recently. Whether it was out of concern for her well-being or simply a move to protect their investments, Erin understood the language well. She had grown up hearing it spoken fluently across polished dining tables and private conference rooms, where affection was secondary to leverage and blood mattered less than usefulness.The Lassette estate sat on elevated ground overlooking the outskirts of Whitewood City, its architecture restrained and deliberate, favoring clean lines and muted colors rather than ostentation. It was a place designed to project stability and reason, the kind of environment that suggested control even when its occupants were anything but

The silence that followed Michael’s declaration did not break immediately. It stretched, thick and deliberate, as the members of the Ordo Supremus reassessed him not as a rising nuisance, but as a factor that could no longer be ignored. Michael brought his hands together on the table and met each of their gazes directly, his posture calm in a way that made the tension in the room feel sharper by contrast. He could feel the attention on him from every direction, layered with irritation, curiosity, and something closer to caution.Gareth Wessen was the first to speak again, his tone slower now, more measured. “You’ve made your position clear,” he said. “And despite your… unconventional approach, the council recognizes strength when it presents itself.”Michael said nothing. He had learned long ago that people often revealed more when they were allowed to keep talking.“We are prepared to offer you formal membership within the Ordo Supremus,” Gareth