Arthur took a deep breath, stepped over the broken stone, and surrendered his life to save the valley."Arthur, no! Do not do this!" Elena screamed, reaching through the narrow gap in the fallen granite to grab his sleeve. "You cannot trust them! The second you walk out there, they will kill you!""If I stay, they burn the whole mountain," Arthur said, gently pulling his arm away from her fingers. "Keep the civilians quiet, Elena. Stay behind the secondary arch.""Arthur, please!" Ethan shouted, slamming his fist against the rock face. "There has to be another way!""There is no other way, Ethan," Arthur called back without turning around. "Take care of her."He stepped out into the open air of the beach. The cold rain hit his face immediately, mixing with the dark dirt on his skin. A dozen stormtroopers swarmed him instantly, their heavy iron boots kicking his feet out from under him. They slammed him down onto the wet gravel, pinning his arms behind his back and snapping heavy iron

The ancient metal guards did not offer a second chance to speak."Stand down your weapons!" Arthur yelled, waving his hand frantically at Beric's militia line before anyone could pull a trigger. "Nobody fire!""Arthur, what did that thing just call you?" Elena whispered, her fingers hovering near her belt blade as she stared at the glowing golden eyes of the sentinel captain."I do not know," Arthur said, taking a step forward while keeping his hands where the machine could see them. "Captain, these people behind me are fleeing a massive invasion surface fleet. We need immediate shelter for thousands of civilians. Can this city accommodate them?"The sentinel captain inclined its brass head, its internal gears humming with a smooth, musical whir. "The Iron Hearth is operating at minimal standby. Residential tiers one through four are open and atmospheric scrubbers are fully active. Proceed inside, High Commander.""Beric, Ethan, move the people!" Arthur shouted, turning back to the wi

The ceiling was bleeding liquid light, and the rock beneath their boots began to groan like a dying beast."Captain, explain this map right now!" Arthur demanded, pointing up at the vast galaxy spinning across the cavern roof. "What is sitting underneath this city?"The sentinel captain stepped to the edge of the dais, its golden eye lenses expanding as it scanned the glowing star lines above. "The sanctuary was constructed over the Starfire Core. It is an ancient interdimensional gateway, High Commander.""An interdimensional gateway?" Elena asked, her hand instantly tightening on the hilt of her blade. "You built a city on top of a door to another realm?""The gateway was locked during the First War to prevent imperial precursors from expanding their conquest into outer realms," the captain said, its voice dropping into a low, rumbling resonance. "However, the kinetic barrier activation combined with the furnace overload has disturbed the core's containment field. The power source i

The voice inside Arthur's skull did not just speak, it pulled. "Arthur, get away from that window right now!" Elena yelled, her boots skidding on the polished stone as she sprinted toward him. "Break the link!" "I cannot move!" Arthur choked out, his eyes wide as golden sparks shot out from his skin and latched onto the surface of the portal glass. "It is broadcasting my signal right through the seal! My starfire energy is talking to them!" Across the starlight barrier, the black-armored warlord slammed the base of a massive precursor focal staff into the metal courtyard floor. A thin beam of crimson light shot from the tip of the staff, piercing straight through the glass window and sinking deep into Arthur's chest. "Ethan!" Elena screamed, grabbing Arthur's belt and pulling back with all her strength. "They are pulling energy out of him!" "I see it!" Ethan shouted frantically, his hands flying across the central console as dials spun wildly out of control. "The warlord is siphon

The cold metal grating groaned once, and then the abyss opened its mouth."Watch the edge!" Elena yelled, pulling Arthur back as three heavy, spiked harvester cables shot out from the side of the massive black drill.The heavy steel cables whipped through the air like iron serpents, wrapping tightly around Arthur’s right arm with a sharp, sickening metallic crunch."Arthur!" Elena screamed, drawing her blades to hack at the thick wire."Do not touch them!" Arthur roared, his teeth grinding together as white-hot pain shot through his shoulder. "They are pulling directly on the mark! It is locking into my starfire channels!"The crimson lens on the front of the World-Eater Engine flared to a terrifying brightness. A deep, mechanical thrum vibrated through the cables, siphoning the radiant golden light out of Arthur’s forearm and feeding it directly into the drill's massive dimensional core. The dark obsidian plates of the war machine began to glow with a sickly orange heat as it devoure