The first light of dawn had barely pierced the horizon when Ethan Cross stood atop the Valente Tower, the city sprawled like a fractured battlefield below him. His golden aura flared outward, cascading across the streets, twisting shadows, and shattered steel. The Reckoning of Divinity had tested him, but it had only served to temper his power, sharpen his mind, and solidify his mastery. Now, the final stage awaited. The Ascension of the War God was at hand.“They’ve sensed it,” Ava whispered, hand gripping Ethan’s arm. Her eyes, wide with a mix of awe and fear, traced the horizon where ripples in reality themselves bent and twisted. “The forces beyond the Reckoning… they know your power now. They’re coming… the ultimate enforcers… the universe’s guardians of balance. They’re coming to stop you.”Ethan’s golden eyes glowed brighter, his aura pulsing like molten sunlight. Shadows swirled at his feet, twisting and rising as if alive, responding to his every thought. “Let them come. Toda

The city slept uneasily under a pale, flickering moon, its skyline scarred yet defiant, a monument to battles fought and survived. Streets that had once been a playground for chaos now carried a fragile semblance of order—an uneasy truce enforced not merely by law, but by fear. The name Ethan Cross had become legend, whispered in alleyways, repeated in council rooms, and feared in the hearts of those who once thought themselves untouchable.But peace, like glass, is easily shattered.Ethan stood atop the Valente Tower, gazing across the city with golden eyes that reflected both pride and caution. His aura shimmered faintly in the night, a halo of power that no mortal should be capable of producing, yet he had mastered it, bending both the mundane and the divine to his will. Below him, the city pulsed, alive with whispers of the underworld, each movement a note in a symphony only he could conduct.“They think they’ve seen the worst of it,” he muttered under his breath, voice low, reson

The city had awakened, indifferent to the forces that stirred in its shadows. Morning light filtered through the skyscrapers, cutting across streets scarred by the last wave of underworld skirmishes. Ethan Cross moved among it like a phantom, unnoticed yet omnipresent, his golden aura suppressed, blending him with the crowd. He no longer needed the grandeur of his mansion to assert dominance; the city itself bent subtly to his perception, every movement tracked, every whisper understood.Ava walked beside him, her hand occasionally brushing his sleeve—not for warmth, but as a tether to reality. The mortal world had always grounded her, yet even she felt the tremors in the air, vibrations of a cosmic scale threading through familiar streets. “It’s stronger today,” she murmured, scanning the city’s sensors. “Whatever is coming… it’s awakening.”Ethan’s gaze lifted to the sky, eyes narrowing. Golden light shimmered faintly beneath the surface of reality. “The artifacts are stirring,” he

The city had calmed, but the tremors lingered, subtle yet undeniable. Even as morning light painted the skyline in soft golds and grays, Ethan Cross could feel the pulse of unease that the masked enemy had left behind. It was not merely a challenge—it was a message, one that demanded acknowledgment and preparation.Ava stood beside him in the Valente mansion’s war room, the glow from the city lights reflecting in her eyes. “They won’t stop,” she said softly. “The masked figure… it was just a test. Whatever is coming next… it won’t be subtle.”Ethan’s golden eyes flicked to hers, calm and calculating. “No. It will not. But that does not concern me. What concerns me is leverage. Every enemy, mortal or divine, can be understood, manipulated, or—if necessary—destroyed. And to survive what comes… we will need alliances.”By mid-afternoon, the council convened again. This time, it was not merely about street-level control or mafia diplomacy—it was about strategy against a threat that spanne

Even in the quiet of night, there was a hum, subtle but persistent, running through streets, alleys, and high-rise towers alike. It was the hum of tension—an urban pulse that reflected both the underworld’s unease and the faint vibrations left behind by the masked enemy’s probes. To a normal citizen, it was nothing more than the city breathing. To Ethan Cross, it was a prelude to the next test.He stood atop the Valente mansion terrace, golden aura subdued, shadows coiling around him like serpents. The artifact’s faint resonance lingered in the air, its influence threading subtly through reality. Ava, standing close behind him, traced a finger along the edge of his coat, her gaze sweeping the streets below.“They’re probing again,” she murmured. “The tremors are stronger, more precise. Whoever—or whatever—sent the last wave… they’ve learned from it.”Ethan’s golden eyes glimmered in the city’s scattered light. “And so must we. Every rift, every fracture, every whisper is a lesson. The