The heavy metal gates of Apex City groaned loudly as they opened. Everett walked out into the dry, red desert. He was not alone. Behind him, a massive crowd of people followed. They were not highly trained Paladins. They were not shiny, golden nobles with magic powers. They were factory workers, poor farmers, and tired refugees. They carried rusty swords, old iron pipes, and broken laser rifles. But as they walked behind Everett, they did not look afraid. They held their heads high. Everett wore his dark brown cloak. The plain steel sword was strapped to his back. His pale, artificial right hand hung by his side. His chest was covered in white bandages, hiding his broken ribs. He walked with a slight limp, but his steps were heavy and full of purpose. Lyra walked closely on his left side. She did not have any healing magic left, but she carried a bag of clean white bandages and normal medicine. Silas walked on his right. The sniper held his heavy rifle. His eyes scanned the dark

The sky above them glitched violently. A chunk of the beautiful blue sky shattered, replaced by the dark purple storm. A bolt of black lightning crashed into the golden grass, blowing a massive crater in the dirt. Ten free citizens were thrown backward, screaming. "Hold the line!" Everett roared, running to the crater. He stood in front of the fallen citizens, raising his sword to block the advancing Zealots. Everett closed his green eyes for a microsecond. He pulled more power from his soul. He forced the golden light to shine brighter. The grass grew back over the crater. The blue sky pushed the purple storm away. But the effort dropped Everett to one knee. He coughed violently, spitting dark blood onto the golden flowers. "Everett, your vitals are crashing!" Rae screamed through the radio. "You are exhausting yourself! Your life force is draining too fast! You cannot hold a safe zone for ten thousand people all by yourself!""I have to," Everett grunted. He pushed himself ba

When he spoke the words, a blinding, brilliant, pure white light exploded from his hand. The light rushed into the dragon’s scales. The fifty Zealots swung their swords. They shot their laser rifles. They hit the dragon’s tail with all their might. CLANG! ZAP! BOOM!The attacks hit the dragon. But the dragon did not die. The giant blue System box hovered above Everett’s head. It flashed brightly. [PASSIVE SKILL ACTIVATED: ABSOLUTE PRESENCE][EFFECT SHARING INITIATED.]Above the dragon’s head, the red HP bar blinked violently. The Zealots had dealt enough damage to kill the god a hundred times over. But the number did not change to zero. It stayed completely, stubbornly frozen. [HP: 1%]"What?!" Jax screamed from across the crater. "Why isn't it dead?! The HP bar is stuck!"Everett stood with his hand pressed against the dragon’s nose. He was breathing heavily. The physical strain of sharing his invincible status with a creature the size of a skyscraper was immense. It felt like

The stolen transport truck flew across the dark desert. The engine screamed. The wheels bounced over sharp rocks. Silas gripped the steering wheel so tight his hands turned white. He did not slow down. He did not care if the truck broke. They had to get back to Apex City. In the back of the truck, Everett stood up. He held onto the metal roof. The cold wind whipped his dark brown cloak around him. He stared at the horizon. Apex City used to glow with bright, beautiful light. Now, it was surrounded by a massive, twisting cloud of black and blue shadows. "They are already there," Everett said. His deep voice rumbled with anger. "The ghost army."Millions of deleted souls—the people from Glimmer and Redstone—were swarming around the high white walls of the capital. They were not human anymore. The Pilgrim had turned them into angry, empty digital phantoms. They clawed at the city walls. They screamed a terrible, silent scream. Lyra stood next to Everett. She looked at the terrible

"Open the main gate," Everett commanded. Silas stared at him. "Are you insane? If we open the main gate, the entire ghost army will flood the streets instantly!""They are already flooding the streets," Everett pointed up at the cracked sky. "We cannot wait for them to break the door down. We have to go out there. We have to show the people that we are not afraid of the dark.""Everett, your HP is at sixty percent," Lyra pleaded, holding onto his arm. "Your right hand is glitching. If you walk out into that army, you will die.""If I stay here, I die anyway," Everett said softly. He touched her cheek with his good left hand. "I am The Undying Martyr. I do not hide."Everett pressed his radio earpiece. "Rae. Tell the gate guards to open the heavy iron doors. All the way."In the bunker, Rae hesitated for one second. She looked at the terrifying math on her screens. Then, she nodded. "Opening the main gate, Everett. Good luck."At the very front of the city, the massive, towering iron