10.000x Doomsday Survival

9. The Heart of the Sky Lord

The stench inside the Sky Devourer's stomach was absolutely nauseating. The walls were not made of ordinary flesh, but a thick layer of pulsating purple slime that continuously secreted acidic gas. Axel hovered right in the middle of the massive, cavernous room, surrounded by thick blood vessels the size of coconut tree trunks. The blue glow from his Spear of the Thunder God reflected off the wet, slimy surfaces.

Right in the exact center of that massive space, a giant heart beat rapidly. Inside that transparent, pulsating heart, Axel saw a woman. She was not wearing a single thread of clothing. Her body was tightly bound by thick red veins that actively siphoned her energy. Her long white hair cascaded all the way down to the floor, and her skin was as deathly pale as fine porcelain.

The moment Axel approached, the woman opened her eyes. Her irises were pure silver, completely devoid of pupils.

"Finally. The true owner of the system has arrived," the woman's voice echoed. The sound did not come from her mouth, but resonated clearly and directly inside Axel's head.

Axel halted his advance immediately. He aimed the tip of his spear dead straight at the heart. "Who are you? How do you know about my system?"

[Scanning Mysterious Target]
[Name: Lyra - The Origin Core]
[Age: Undetectable]
[Genetic Potential: Grade EX Transcendent God]
[Status: Extremely weak. Soul fragmented. Tightly bound to the Sky Devourer.]

"Grade EX? That is above SSS?" Axel was genuinely shocked. His system could not even detect her age.

"I am a mere fragment of the supreme consciousness that originally sent the Khamul meteor down to this world. However, I was brutally betrayed by my own kind and forced to serve as a living battery for this monster," the woman explained. "The system you currently wield is a fragment of my own power. If you kill this monster right now, I will die along with it."

Axel narrowed his eyes sharply. He was not a man who trusted easily. "So what? Why should I care if you die? My absolute only job is to destroy this monster so my fortress remains safe."

"If I die, your system will never be able to reach its maximum absolute level. You will be permanently trapped as a petty ruler on this tiny planet, while your true enemies out in the cosmos are currently preparing to harvest every single one of you," Lyra retorted.

[Ding! Secret Mission Activated: Rescue the Origin Core!]
[Instruction: Administer the High-Tier Star Evolution Serum to Lyra to completely sever her soul's connection to the Sky Devourer!]
[Reward: True God of Lightning Transformation and the Eternal Soul Contract!]

Axel fell silent for a brief second. He glanced outside through the monster's transparent, fleshy walls. The Sky Devourer was incredibly close to his apartment building. The monster's gargantuan jaw was already opened incredibly wide, fully prepared to swallow the entire Horizon building whole.

"Alright, Lyra. I will give it a try. But if you are lying, I will shatter your soul to pieces myself," Axel stated with lethal coldness.

Axel pulled out the bottle of High-Tier Star Evolution Serum he had previously given to Seraphina. It turned out he still had exactly one backup bottle stored safely inside his secret inventory. He floated closer to the heart and forcefully shoved the bottle straight through the thick layer of the heart's flesh.

"Drink this. I sincerely hope this is enough to break you free from this ugly monster," Axel said, smashing the bottle right in front of Lyra's lips.

The golden liquid from the serum was instantly absorbed into Lyra's body. A split second later, a blindingly bright explosion of pure golden light erupted from inside the Sky Devourer's heart.

[Ding! You have administered the High-Tier Star Evolution Serum to EX-Grade Target Lyra!]
[Triggering God-Level Rebate 1,000,000x!]
[Congratulations! You have obtained: Supreme Authority of the Thunder God (Permanent), 10 Intergalactic Mothership Units, and System Evolution to the Galactic Stage!]

"One million times?!" Axel roared in absolute shock.

Suddenly, all the electrical arcs surging through Axel's body shifted color from bright blue to a blinding, pure silver-white. His tactical armor completely disintegrated and was instantly replaced by an incredibly majestic robe woven from pure energy. His Spear of the Thunder God fused seamlessly right into his bare hand, granting Axel absolute control over all lightning across the entire planet's atmosphere.

"Thank you so much, Master Axel," Lyra's voice echoed, sounding significantly stronger.

Lyra's body slowly phased out of the giant heart. The thick red veins binding her instantly crumbled to dust. The exact moment Lyra broke free, the Sky Devourer unleashed an incredibly devastating roar of pure agony. Its colossal body began to shake violently, having entirely lost its primary energy source.

"Do it now, Axel. Obliterate this monster from the inside out. Turn its remains into pure nutrition to fuel your fortress's expansion," Lyra commanded.

Axel smirked widely. He raised his right hand high into the air. "Anya! Activate maximum energy absorption mode! I am going to burn this bastard from the inside out!"

"Understood, Master! Absorption Mode Fully Active!"

Axel unleashed the absolute full power of his lightning. The deafening roar of electrical explosions, millions of times more devastating than a nuclear blast, detonated violently inside the Sky Devourer's stomach. The colossal monster that had previously blotted out the entire sky abruptly transformed into a gargantuan fireball suspended in mid-air.

BOOM!

From the ground below, the people inside the Horizon Fortress witnessed an absolutely insane spectacle. The mountain-sized monster exploded spectacularly, but strangely, not a single piece of debris fell to the ground. Every single ounce of the monster's flesh and energy was forcefully sucked into a single, blinding point of light at the absolute center of the explosion.

Axel hovered down slowly from the sky, carrying Lyra effortlessly in his arms. Trailing closely behind him, the massive sphere of pure energy harvested from the monster's explosion followed Axel directly toward the Horizon Apartments.

"Master! You have returned!" Maya shouted. She had just landed the Phoenix-01 flawlessly on the roof of the building.

Standing right beside Maya were Aria Vance, who had fully regained consciousness, and Elena, who was hugging her younger sister tightly while weeping tears of pure joy. They all stood completely stunned, staring at Axel, who now radiated an aura exactly like a supreme god.

"Who is that woman, Boss?" Valerie asked, pointing at Lyra.

"She is the absolute key to our future," Axel answered briefly. He landed smoothly on the roof and set Lyra down on her feet.

Lyra surveyed the fortress surroundings with a look of deep admiration. "An incredibly fascinating place. You truly managed to build an absolute fortress right in the middle of these ruins."

[Ding! Eternal Soul Contract with Lyra successfully forged.]
[God Fortress Status: Stage 3 Initiated. Constructing the Floating City!]

The Horizon Apartment building began to shake violently once more. This time, its foundation was completely uprooted from the earth. Fueled by the massive influx of energy absorbed from the Sky Devourer, the entire one-kilometer district radius currently controlled by Axel slowly lifted high into the air.

"Are we. Are we actually flying?" Scarlett shrieked, gripping the balcony railing tightly.

"We are not just flying, Scarlett. We are building an absolute empire that cannot be touched by anyone on the ground ever again," Axel declared.

Aria Vance, the nuclear genius, walked closer to Axel. She offered a highly respectful bow. "Thank you so much for saving me and completely destroying General Ironwood. I have already permanently deleted all military nuclear launch codes. Now, I am fully ready to work for you."

Axel nodded in deep satisfaction. "Welcome to the team, Aria. Scarlett needs your help to construct the star energy reactor for this Floating City."

"Master Axel," Anya's hologram materialized right beside him. "There is an urgent emergency broadcast from the long-range radar. The Eldoria Capital has fallen. It was not breached by zombies, but by a massive invasion from the sea. Thousands of foreign warships utilizing technology we have never seen before have been detected heading directly toward this location."

Axel narrowed his eyes sharply. He turned his head toward Lyra. "Are those your people?"

Lyra shook her head. "No. Those are The Reapers. They are a highly ruthless faction of humans from another continent who acquired system technology long before you did. They travel the globe specifically to slaughter other system owners and harvest their power fragments."

Axel clenched his fists tightly. Blinding white lightning violently arced around him. "Perfect. I just upgraded my system, and now they are kindly delivering brand new targets straight to my door. Seraphina! Maya! Valerie!"

"Ready for orders, Boss!" the three women answered in perfect unison.

"Prepare the entire army. We are going to give a highly explosive welcome to our guests from across the sea. I want to show them exactly why there is only one absolute king on this continent, and that king is me," Axel commanded.

"Axel," Elena called out softly. "Dinner is already served. You need to rest for a little while before you go to war again."

Axel smiled warmly and pulled Elena into a tight embrace. "Alright. Let us enjoy this premium steak rebated from the Sky Devourer first. After that, we will completely flatten the Eldorian sea."

Axel's Floating City continued to ascend, piercing straight through the clouds and glowing brilliantly amidst the darkness of the ruined world. The apocalypse might still be raging below, but for Axel Edward and his loyal goddesses, this was merely the absolute beginning of their total global conquest.