“How do we fight a weapon that eats everything?” Kade thought back nervously. “We fight him from all sides!” Claire’s brilliant tactical mind ordered in the web. “We surround him! We make him swing at shadows!” “Move!” Landon roared. The Vanguard team scattered instantly. General Vane did not hesitate. He charged straight down the middle of the room, aiming directly for Landon. Vane moved with terrifying, robotic speed. He swung the massive, dark halberd in a deadly, wide arc. Landon used his magical combat foresight. He saw the ghostly blue image of the dark blade coming toward his neck. Landon threw his massive body flat onto the cold metal floor. The blade of dark, corrupted light passed exactly one inch over his head. The top of Landon's dark hair touched the blade. Instantly, the hair simply vanished. It was erased. Landon scrambled away, popping back up to his feet. He broke out in a cold sweat. He had almost lost his entire head. “Marcus! Now!” Claire commanded. Mar

The giant, black iron doors of the Lower Sanctum were wide open. Landon Hale stood frozen in the cold, dark hallway. His dark eyes were wide open in absolute, paralyzing horror. He stared straight ahead into the massive, cavernous room. The sight inside the room was a terrible nightmare. General Kade Rauth was suspended high in the air. Thousands of glowing, toxic purple magical wires connected his human body directly to the giant, rotting stone heart of the ancient Fallen God. The massive monster from the deep was not eating General Rauth. They were fusing together. Rauth’s smooth, human face was melting into the jagged, dark stone of the ancient beast. "Welcome to the end, Vanguard," Rauth whispered perfectly. His voice was no longer just a human voice. It was the deep, booming, terrifying voice of the entire planet. The sound shook the heavy concrete walls of the underground Citadel in Chicago. Landon raised his heavy combat knife. His muscles ached. His broken rib burned. Bu

Landon’s fists glowed with a blinding, terrifying white fire. He charged the undead monster. The monster swung its sharp crystal arm. Landon did not dodge. He did not care if he got hit. Landon stepped straight into the attack. The sharp purple crystals stabbed deeply into Landon’s left side, tearing his skin. Landon grunted in agony, but he did not stop. He grabbed the monster by its thick, armored neck with his left hand. He squeezed tightly, pinning the beast in place. “Claire! Now!” Landon commanded silently with absolute, pure fury through the War Resonance web. Claire Arden knew exactly what she had to do. Claire ran forward. She limped heavily on her twisted ankle, but she did not stop. She raised the ancient, glowing golden shield she had found in the Armory of the Fallen. The shield glowed with brilliant, warm, pure life energy. "Get out of my way, ugly!" Claire shouted fiercely. Claire did not hit the monster with the shield. She held it perfectly flat, aiming the

The giant, open doorway of the Lower Sanctum looked like the glowing mouth of a terrible monster. Landon Hale stood at the edge of the darkness. He stared inside the massive, underground room in Chicago. His broad chest heaved up and down. His breath made thick, white clouds in the freezing air. Inside the cavern, General Kade Rauth floated exactly three feet above the stone floor. But Rauth was not a human general anymore. He was a god. His body was a horrifying mixture of pitch-black metal and swirling, dark shadows. Giant, jagged purple crystals grew wildly out of his back like broken wings. His human face was completely gone. In its place was a smooth, flat mask made of dark stone. In the exact center of the mask, a single, gigantic purple eye burned with the toxic, blinding light of a dying sun. Floating right behind Rauth was the massive, rotting stone heart of the ancient Fallen God. The heart beat slowly. With every single beat, a wave of dark, dead-god magic washed over

Claire sobbed quietly. She knew he was telling the exact truth. "I cannot fight a god if my heart is terrified for your safety," Landon explained gently. He brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "I need my mind to be completely clear. I need to be a weapon right now. But I cannot be a weapon if I am trying to be your shield." "But he is too strong, Landon!" Claire cried, grabbing the front of his torn winter coat. She pulled him tightly against her. "He is immortal! How can you beat him alone?!" "I don't know," Landon smiled a small, sad, brave smile. "But I have to try. Because if I don't stop him right now, he is going to erase the entire universe. He will erase you. And I refuse to let that happen." Inside the massive, glowing purple cavern, General Rauth began to laugh again. "How incredibly pathetic," Rauth’s booming, god-like voice mocked them. "You are wasting your final seconds of existence crying like weak little children. Your tears are delicious to me." Rauth